Sunday, July 20, 2008

Never Say Never

Ever think about the times in your life that you or a friend has said "I'll never..." such as "I'll never be a runner" "I'd never like yoga", "I would never live in the city" "I would never do online dating", etc. Ever think about the times when you or a friend has actually done those things and 1. Become a marathon runner, 2. Become a yogi, 3. city slicker and 4. found their husband on Match? ALL have happened to either me or close friends.

How many times do we say "That just wouldn't work for me" but really - how do we know unless we have actually tried it? How many friends have I had that would say to me after I had come back from a run "I could never run - bleck, you are crazy". Do you know that when 4 out of 5 of those same people started running they became running addicts and all have finished marathons?

Why are we so quick to shortchange ourselves an experience? Is it fear? Insecurity? Because really, unless we have had the experience, failed or dislike it, how can we really know we don't like it? How many times do your children say "I hate broccoli" and yet have never tried it. What do we say to them - "Try it, you might like it". Why don't we follow those instructions ourselves?

As I have gotten older I have made a conscious effort to NOT be an "I'll never" person. Because you know what, I almost always end up eating my words. Because what "I'll never" do, ends up being something I do end up doing and actually loving. Almost everytime.

A yoga instructor once told me that the positions that were the hardest for me and the ones I dreaded were the ones I needed the most. I have become a believer that those places in life that we "never" want to go, are probably those we need the most as well.

Try it, you just might love it.

Rock on,
Paula