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What do we risk when we are too afraid to test our own limits?
What are the downfalls of risk?
I was thinking about this recently when I was at the circus with my daughter. The physical limitations of some of the performers were not visible from my seats, but I know that not one second of the act was performed on a whim or without hours and hours of preparation and diligent team work. Perseverance had prevailed from, what I can only imagine, a great deal of trial and error. There, spinning high above the ground, held up by a confidence in her own balance, trust in the team’s preparedness and only a rope, was a perfect image of what I consider as calculated risk.
Was there fear the first time she let go? I’m certain of it. Were there falls and injuries acquired during the learning process? I’m certain of it. Was there frustration in stretching for perfect form and a flawless routine? I’m certain of it. But when you start challenging yourself, and continue to practice stepping just outside of your comfort zone, you too may find yourself in the middle of something beautiful. And those onlookers? They will be astonished of what you care capable of, and never fully understand the entire journey of what it took to get you there. But that’s okay… because each and everyone of us is on our own road to a flawless performance, finding inspiration and beauty in those along the way. Let your moments of perseverance be an inspiration to others, and never be ashamed of your struggles that you faced along the way.
If we never test our limits, we will never see just what our true abilities are; and then we will never learn to defy them! What an awful thing to deprive of others.
And what should you do when you have nailed down that perfectly freeing moment of comfort? Step outside the comfort zone again, and reach even further! Never stop learning!
