Challenging Challenges
"Lets take a Victory and then keep on marching" - Martin Luther King
The dictionary describes one of the meanings for the word challenge as follows: "A task or situation that tests someone's abilities." With the 2010 Olympic games now just a memory in our wake - I am creating my own challenge with thoughts of spring that are only 21 short days away! Can I get a hooray for the coming of Spring?!
This morning I arose early at 6am headed to our local hot yoga studio and immersed myself into a 30-day yoga challenge. Bottom line is that I need to do 26 yoga classes there at the studio between now and March 31st to to win the challenge. No small feat for me to be sure - especially because I will be out of town for 6 days of the month.
My husband, Ed, and I have been going each Sunday for the past three weeks so I have a bit of a start with hot yoga, but I am most certainly not the most limber person to be sure! What will I gain from this challenge? A much healthier body and clarity of mind, as well as the knowledge that I really allowed myself to do something I know that I can do.
Challenges are great to get our mind and body going. Let's face it we don't have a coach standing by our side 24/7 like most of the Olympic athletes, so giving ourselves a bit of challenge is always helpful to hit optimal performance.
Now I have to admit that I took on a challenge set forth by my trainer, Nicole Irlbeck, on January 1 to exercise, eat and drink lots of water and she has been awesome in motivating me. In fact take a look at her 90 challenge video series she has put together (Nicoles's video's) quite impressive. But I needed another strong push to get me fully engaged.
With March comes the reality that the year 2010 is well on its way! Yes, we are in it! Thirty days from now we will be ending the first quarter of the year. What are the challenges before you? What can you do to push yourself to reach towards those goals and ideals that were so strong the first part of January? Who can support you in the process? Who can you reach out to and ask for help? It is amazing when we ask, those that are there to help us along.
What I love about this morning's quote from MLK, is the reminder that it's important to celebrate the little victories (like getting up each morning and getting to yoga) and then keep going, yes keep marching through all of life's challenges!
It is also important to celebrate the big victories as well - yet keep on marching. Think about the athletes from the Olympics - this morning they are moving back to their lives outside the limelight. Those who had heartache during their Olympic challenge - such as figure skater Joannie Rochette, who so tragically lost her mother during the event and then went on to win the bronze medal. She now faces life that she must march in without her beloved mother. A real testimonial that challenges in this human life come in all shapes and sizes.
I encourage you in the week ahead to look at the challenges you have already overcome and those that lay before you. Ask yourself how these challenges will move you forward - or how have they? Try not to get too complacent about your life. Ask yourself if you are giving yourself enough challenges in all areas, from health to work to relationships? How about adding a few?
You might just find a side of yourself you never knew existed. There might just be an Olympian waiting to be seen! I will keep you posted in what I find in the hot yoga room!
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