I'm down to the wire tonight with my blog post. It's 9:30 on Saturday night and my new post is supposed to go live at 7:00 am Sunday morning. It's not that I've had trouble thinking of something to write about — I've just been busy with work during the day and then finishing up the renovation of my backyard, another TitsnToolz project.
As I sit here with my laptop enjoying a glass of wine, it's not lost on me how thankful I am for everything and everyone in my life. I worked super hard renovating this space, and to finally be able to enjoy it in its full splendour is magnificent. I am grateful that I've been blessed with the gumption to even tackle a project like this. It wasn't small, but the payoff has been unreal, and I'm so glad I stuck with it and didn't give up.
I could have. One hundred and ten bags of 66 lb cement is a lot to mix with a shovel and a wheelbarrow, but the thought of giving up and calling someone else in to finish up never even crossed my mind. It's not that I'm a glutton for punishment — it's just that when I set a goal for myself, I pride myself on following through, however long it takes.
I think if we never push ourselves, we never truly know what we are capable of. I'm not saying you have to take on a massive renovation project all by yourself — I realize that's a bit crazy. But just something that pushes you to do more than the basic minimum. The 'basic minimum' seems to be the level of excellence in these days of participation badges for everyone. We're always so full of excuses as to why we cannot accomplish something, and some of them are legitimate for sure, but most of them are just made-up bullshit. We're always ready to throw the excuse out there before we've even given it a shot.
We just stay where we are in life because we're too scared to move forward and try anything new. Heaven forbid we fail! We can't have that!
I cannot tell you how many times I had to go back and fix something in the course of this renovation, and in life I've failed at things or they didn't go as planned. Do I get bummed and want to throw in the towel? Of course — it's human nature to want to take the easy road. But taking the easy road isn't going to lead you to the land of milk and honey. And the idea that taking the easy way is always the best way is a load of crap. If you're always taking the easy way, you become complacent — and in my opinion, being complacent is not where you want to hang your hat for very long.
Complacency breeds a sort of thinking that stunts your growth. It keeps you in a place where you never move forward, backward, or even side to side. And movement is the key to life, both physically and cognitively. If you're not moving, then you are stuck — simple as that.
I realize that flavours of ice cream are a lame example, but I'm currently eating some Tiger Tail right from the container, and I am so much happier and fulfilled because as a child I gave it a try even though I'm not a fan of black licorice. I tried it, and I liked it! No, I loved it! I could have stuck with the same old vanilla, but I went out on a limb and my life has never been the same since!
Pushing yourself, trying something new, taking the next step — these are all ways of keeping yourself in motion. Our bodies were built to move, and our minds were built on the idea of motion. The more you use your brain, the stronger and quicker the connections become, so it's vital to use it.
Here's my advice — and that's all it is, my advice. Challenge yourself. Push your limits. See what you can do. But don't do it because I told you to — do it because YOU want to. Do it because you want to see what YOU can accomplish. Do it because there is no better feeling than discovering you're so much braver, stronger, and more courageous than you think you are. Do it because you deserve it and because you are worth it. That alone is worth the effort. Believe in yourself and magic can happen.