On Monday I started a 100 day challenge. No, yoga buddies, it’s not for yoga. I may color outside of the lines once in awhile, but I’m not crazy. There’s no way I’m going to commit to yoga for 100 days. (That’s another blog – one I think I did write in the past.) No, not yoga, but a personal development experience where you work on small things within yourself each day that cause big changes at the end of 100 days. Now and then, during the challenge I will share tidbits that changed my thinking.
This week began by examining excellence. I always thought excellence was something you achieved – like a goal. I thought it was the A+ at the end of test or study or challenge. This week I learned that excellence is not an end product. Excellence is something you practice and apply all day long, in every thing you do, from brushing your teeth, to exercising, to your job. It’s not a reward – it’s kind of a verb.
These past three days on the challenge had me doing better in all areas of my life. Writing and business matters were really good. I took excellence to yoga and put new things and effort into postures that I used to just coast through. It’s amazing when you think about excellence in everything you do, all day long, the changes you can see happening right before your eyes.
Then came 6 pm yoga tonight. I couldn’t wait to go again and take my “excellent” attitude with me. The last two nights I rocked it and came home with more energy than I needed at 8:00 at night. Tonight, as soon as I walked into the room I knew I was in for it. The room was very, very hot. My skin was burning until I started sweating. Sitting on my mat before class, both the mat and I were as soaked as I’d be at the end of the standing series. The teacher thought it was just fine. Uh- oh. Compensation time. On top of the heat, the class was really crowded and the humidity shot up sky high by the end of the third pose. I felt bad. I knew I’d be spent by the time the standing series was over. I made it all the way through the standing series, but I was too dizzy to do tree and toe stand, so I just knelt down. I was happy that I made it that far without taking a knee, even if it was with a lot of compensation and trying to conserve energy and breath. The floor series – well let’s just say it amounted to a lot crawling and groveling around on the ground. She opened the window during the floor series, but it was too late for me. I already spent everything I had.
I was kind of dejected that I couldn’t put excellence into tonight’s practice, like the last two nights. Then I stopped to think. Tonight was not a new experience. It happens. When the temperature and humidity are perfect, I concentrate on poses. When they are as high as they were tonight, I concentrate on breathing, conserving energy, compensating in my difficult areas instead of putting my all into them, and really work on controlling that panic factor that tries to set in and make you feel like you have to run out of the room. This is my strategy. After two years I’ve accepted that there will be classes like this. I have a strategy. I executed it with excellence.
In life, everyday is not sunshine and flowers. It’s easy to apply excellence when things are going well. What counts is to be able to apply it on the hard days, too, just like in tonight’s class.
The first premise of the challenge is to inspire, promote, and celebrate excellence. They never said anything about only doing it on our good days. I think they said everyday. Could be why they call this a challenge.
And so, as another day goes by, it’s time to apply excellence to relaxing and settling in for the season premier of Grey’s, I’m sure I can do that with excellence and do like the challenge says: “finish the day strong”, and…I have written.
I think this is my favorite post of yours Linda. It’s ‘excellent’ and inspired me. Thank you.