Stretch! It’s The Height of Summer…
What challenge will you take on this week?
I ask because the more we stretch, the more we feel alive. My definition of stretch here means consciously bringing something that you find hard, or unpleasant or even just something that needs attention in a way that you don’t enjoy or would rather have someone else do.
It’s not ALL roses and magic – and that’s great.
Contrasting flow and things we find easy with something a little more challenging is one of the best ways to grow your soul. Stretching our boundaries and moving into areas that make us slightly uneasy is great for our expansion. Yes, it’s ‘hard’ for a moment, but the achievement and satisfaction of doing these things far outweighs the short-term discomfort.
Here’s a small starter list of some things you can do to put the stretch into your week:
- Sticking to something until it’s done
- Doing something you’ve never done
- Taking yourself up a level (whatever that means)
- Talking yourself into showing up
- Creating more space by setting a boundary
- Sharing something personal with someone new (or many someone’s!)
- Putting a new routine in place
- Have a conversation with someone you usually don’t
There are so many more examples.
My invitation is simply to keep growing rather than to stagnate. So do everything you normally do, but stretch one (or more) of those things by taking it more seriously, or by reducing the stress you feel at doing it by experimenting differently.
The challenge doesn’t have to be big or grand. It can be part of something that’s already in progress, or it can be something new. You get to choose. We are human beings. We are designed to stretch our minds, our hearts, our bodies. We are not meant to just go through life, plodding because we know what to do. We are not meant to do things on auto-pilot, losing days and feeling despondent.
When we create those lives, we get bored and resigned and the fun and joy disappears. As soon as we start to put in a challenge or two, that difference allows us to feel we are using all (or at least some!) of our talents. We reawaken to feeling useful, accomplished and even delighted with ourselves.
THIS is what ALIVE feels like.
This week, stretch a little, whether mental, physical, emotional or spiritually.
Let me know how you get on.