You might imagine that it takes a long time to change the way your body functions. You might think that as you get older, you can’t really make much of a difference. But today I’m going to tell you, from personal experience, that change is possible — from one day to the next and the next, and the next after that.
Stuck in Your Ways?
No matter how old you are or how stuck in your ways you feel, you can master new skills and change the way your body and mind work. You’ve just got to decide that’s what you want to do.
Some months ago, I decided to learn how to jump rope. My daughter Rya sent me a jump rope and I hesitantly took it to the gym. I started by doing the old two jumps to one rope turn and managed three of them before stumbling on the rope and feeling short of breath.
It felt daunting. I even wrote a post about it!
But three or four days a week, I tried again.
Step-by-Step to Mastering Something New
I continued to try … and I slowly improved. I got to 10 skips and then 20 and then 50 without tripping on the rope. That felt like a huge accomplishment.
And now, some months later, I can jump rope with enough ease to go for a minute or two at a time and even doing a few tricks.
What started out feeling just about impossible now feels easy. I actually look forward to my jump rope practice.
And, amazingly enough, at the gym, I now see other women getting jump ropes and building their skills.
My First Pull-Up at 73!
And now, I’m on to the next thing — pull ups.
Never in my life have I been able to do a pull up. Not even close! But I’ve decided that I’d like to conquer that feat next. And after a week of working on building those muscles, I can tell that I’m already walking taller, standing straighter and getting closer.
I’ll post a video when I can do one. Don’t hold your breath because it won’t be soon. But I’ve decided and will have fun making little, incremental progress. And then one day — boom, up I’ll go!
You Just Have to Decide
Honestly, mastering a new skill turns out to be the easy part. Making a decision to master a new skill is not so easy.
But once you make the decision and really commit yourself to your goal, there are few things more rewarding and exciting than to see yourself actually make short term (and then long term) progress.
Imagine what you could do!
ThisWhat Skill Would You Like to Master?
Is there a skill you’d like to master that seems out of reach? Can you imagine working on it little by little? Pick something — anything that’s been on your personal agenda. Figure out how to start working on building the skill. Focus on the fun of progress, rather than the frustration of not having reached the goal. And watch as little by little your skills and strength grow.
Share your skill below as a sort of online commitment to it. Or, jump rope your way on over to Facebook and share your plans there.
