Day Two - Project 2

  I'm going to share a story.  Americans like standardized tests.  They're like education melting pots.  It makes me think they ought to get some Confucian-era civil service exams going on and just give the jobs to the top ranked.  But then that would negate the opportunity for the high school and college level standardized tests.  I think I had a point at one...point.  Oh, yes.  I had to prepare for a standardized test a few years ago when I made my first leap towards competence.  In order to take a liberal arts degree - Teacher Certification, you needed to take a high school level math/language assessment test.  I panicked.  I had grade 11 Math, and I had taken it in 1992.  So I bought the test guide, and I studied it.  I pored over everything, everyday, until I thought I could maybe take a test and squeak by with a barely passing score.  I wasn't chuffed* about the English, because one of my Not-Majors was English, so I'm awesome, right?

  I got a nearly perfect score on the math, beating the English score by 3 points.

  This was not a story of hard work and perseverance.  This is a story of me thinking that simple part-of-the-process tasks are nigh impossible.  I tell this story because today was day two of my Improve Flexibility project.  I have added two inches to my distance between left and right toes for the splits, and held it for 30 seconds instead of 10.  My standing toe touch attempt is only four inches from the floor instead of six.  And during my second and third stretching sessions, I briefly touched my toes at the end of a 30 second hold while sitting with my legs straight in front of me.  I'm happy with this, but what I am bringing away from this early success is this:
 
  I am lazy in the creation of my hurdles.  I had such an assumption of inability, I didn't even bother to check if I could do these things easily.  So I am now going to really try to accomplish the splits, not just get close enough, expect to be able to touch my toes standing or sitting and go as far as possible (I saw some of those yoga people putting their heads on their shins, so that's what I'm aiming for).  I also think I have to find a few moments to really see what my maximum bench press is like, because I'm just assuming it's pathetically low because I feel weak.

  Gee, as self-absorbed as I am, is it possible I also have low self-esteem?  Wow, how fabulously unique and compelling I am with my one-of-a-kind personality flaws.

  Okay, enough of the down-on-myself bullshark**.  I'm going at this confidently, but not going to get too overconfident.  I have a long way too go, and I'm not getting complacent or accepting early success as total.

  Gotta choose my training montage theme song.

 -Mike

* Aren't the Harry Potter books just wonderful?

** I and everyone else swear too much.  I'm going to try to treat my life as if I'm in an edited for airplanes movie.  OOOH, maybe go without swearing could be a project.  Or am I making something too easy for myself again?  I need more data.