Came across this quote and just had to share it.
“We do not believe in ourselves until someone reveals that deep inside us is valuable, worth listening to, worthy of our trust, sacred to our touch. Once we believe in ourselves we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight or any experience that reveals the human spirit.” - E. E. Cummings
You’ve probably heard it said many times, focus on what you want. The reason is you give your brain and subconscious a clear target to go for.
Right now I’m focusing on having a straight right arm. For the last 18 years it’s been bent (the legacy of a car accident, and in the scheme of things a tiny legacy at that). A few weeks ago they removed a piece of bone which was stopping it straighten and I left the hospital slightly groggy and with instructions to do my physiotherapy 3 times a day. And I have. 3 times a day I’m either crying with pain, squealing with pain or making snorting panting noises like an angry warthog. And it’s all self inflicted. Through all of this I can ’see’ my arm straight, and most days I make small tiny improvements. Why would I put myself through this, because I want the prize sooo much. This is short term pain for long term gain. It’s also a very personal example of focus.
You see you can want something and focus on getting it, but always there is a price to pay and that’s where you get to decide is it worth it. The day after the operation they brought me cornflakes for my breakfast. Now because of how I was lying in bed and where my arm was positioned, the trolley with my breakfast on was a good arms length away. So each spoonful was transported a reasonable distance with the left arm (my least dominant) and along the way milk was spilt. Now dribbling milk over yourself is no big thing, but after about seven mouthfuls I’d had enough. So I left my breakfast and yes I was still hungry and thirsty but not enough to persist.
It’s a new year and a common time to set new year resolutions, or goals for the year. How often do they end up abandoned, how many people give up even setting goals - too many. In a way goals are a focus for the year, they can give some meaning, context, direction. However if the goal doesn’t matter that much as soon as other things come along, or it gets a bit difficult we back off or give up. Typically when we’re going for something we have to step out of our comfort zone. My arm is now quite happy in the range of movement it’s had for the last 18 years, the new range that’s emerging is more painful but if I don’t stretch the muscles and work them then nothing is ever going to change and removing the bone would have been pointless.
Focus on the size of the prize, when you know it’s worth it and you’ll do anything to get there commence the journey. In times of discomfort it’s the prize that keeps you going.