Stretching Yourself

We walked into the yoga room, ready to relax and spend an hour just focusing on breathing and stepping away from the chaos of running a business. Meghan had been attending regularly. I was walking into my first class in a very (very) long time.

We were about half way through, we were asked to do some "torture" maneuver with our hands, and I was physically unable to do it. Meghan even glanced over and said, "No, you've got to have your hands further back." I sat in shock (and a modicum of discomfort) as I looked around and realized something that looked so simple, was simply outside of my ability.

And then it hit me. I was missing a word! It wasn't outside of my ability. It was outside of my CURRENT ability.

This rainy morning I had unintentionally stumbled upon something I wasn't expecting. A new challenge. It was up to me to determine if it was worth tackling. (Spoiler, I've been working on this ever since. Happy to say I've been making some progress)

But what really hit me, is that I wasn't even looking for this challenge. It just landed in my lap. And the only reason it did, was because I stepped into a new space. I left the world where I was comfortable and wasn't being challenged.

In the same way that an awkward pose presented me with an unexpected challenge, running a business often brings its own set of unforeseen trials. Each day in the life of an entrepreneur is akin to stepping into a new yoga class -- you never quite know what pose or challenge will be thrown your way. It's a constant journey of stretching your capabilities, often in directions you never anticipated.

We sometimes unconsciously confine ourselves to the realms of what we know and excel at. It's comfortable, but true growth, comes from stepping into new spaces, into roles and challenges that initially feel like a 'torture maneuver.'

We encounter tasks and decisions that might feel out of our depth at first. It's crucial to remind ourselves that these are not beyond our ability, but perhaps just beyond our current skill set or experience level.

The value of stepping into new challenges in business cannot be overstated. It's about embracing discomfort, knowing that it is a precursor to growth. It's about recognizing that when a challenge 'lands in our lap,' it's an opportunity to expand our expertise and push our business forward.

Seek out those spaces that challenge you. Embrace the discomfort of not knowing and the thrill of learning. It's in these spaces that we grow, not just as business owners, but as individuals. Our businesses, like our bodies, have more potential than we often realize. It's only by pushing our limits that we truly discover what we're capable of.