Stretching Ourselves into New Opportunities

The first time she stood before the class was terrifying. She experienced a physical reaction—shaking, sweating, and eagerly counting the minutes until it was over. Despite the discomfort, she reminded herself that the next time would be easier if she could push through this.

And it was.

She had loved practicing yoga for years and eventually earned her yoga teacher certification in 2017.

However, the idea of actually teaching terrified her. Standing in front of a class and leading a full hour was daunting, and she didn’t believe she could ever pull it off.

One year, at her daughter's school, the theme was "stretch yourself"—a call to challenge oneself by trying new and uncomfortable things. It struck her that if her young children embraced this mindset, she should too. So, she decided to take the plunge and teach yoga classes for the first time.

Over time, the discomfort faded, and teaching became enjoyable.

This experience taught her the value of confronting challenges and stepping out of a comfort zone. The confidence she gained from overcoming this initial fear has inspired her to seek out other challenging and uncomfortable experiences, knowing that the rewards will be even greater.

Now, she actively pursues situations that push her boundaries, embracing the growth and satisfaction of overcoming them.

**This is a real story from someone who may be your friend or sitting beside you. I learned from her and I hope you did as well.

Leading with Understanding

When leading it’s important to understand previous experience and current capabilities.

1. My medical degree doesn’t make me a health expert.

2. My large community on LinkedIn doesn’t make me an expert on LinkedIn or social media.

3. My college degree doesn’t make me more knowledgeable or capable than a college dropout.

4. My history of raising significant capital doesn’t make me an expert in doing it for any company today.

The point?

What we did before brings credibility and the opportunity to approach something today with experience, but:

??We still need to perform and be accountable

??We still need to learn every day

??We still need to take care of ourselves for the opportunity that comes our way

??We can praise our past but we must be satisfied with how we show up today

Our culture sets us up to eat unhealthy, sit for long periods, and work longer than we should while sacrificing health along the way.

I see it in schools, hospitals, offices, and pretty much anywhere.

So we have to intentionally go against this setup to:

-sleep more

-be focused when working to optimize time

-be outside more

-eat with awareness

-walk more

-be together more

-give more

-not shame each other for doing the above

We can do this for ourselves because we deserve it… we also have people watching our actions and it’s a great way to influence each other.

Here’s to redefining our culture and expectations, putting health at the center. Have a productive and fulfilling month!