A neighborhood friend emailed me a while back asking if I wanted to teach kid’s yoga at our elementary school. I had never imagined myself teaching yoga to kids, but this didn’t seem to be a good enough reason for me to turn this down. As we continued to talk about a possible program, the more and more excited I became and new ideas kept flooding in. I held my first class with the kids last week and it was a joy to see them explore new yoga poses. Sure, I helped stretched some little bodies with yoga, but what I'm really doing is stretching myself and my perceived boundaries.
We recently took the kids to Orlando over spring break. As we all descended into Universal, we couldn’t help but notice a roller coaster in the middle of the park called “The Hulk”. Just like the name implies, it was big and green and looked really scary! Right away, my oldest son, Ryan, began using his powers of persuasion to convince me to go on with him. I went on The Hulk and it was one of the scariest and fastest roller coasters I've ever been on. I'm glad I did it, but I'm happy to never got on that thing again. By taking on The Hulk, even just once, I reminded myself that my fears are something that I create in my mind. I can acknowledge fear, take a big breath, and move right past it.
I recently got a call from a professional accounting recruiter. He calls me every once in a while when a job crosses his desk that he thinks I’d be a good fit for. He had a temporary job opportunity in Boston. I heard myself saying, “I have a great person that you can call for this, thank you for thinking of me.” As I hung up the phone, I felt a good deal of relief that I didn’t offer to take on something more into my already busy schedule. By turning this down, I was not compromising the balance and space that I've been trying to establish for myself. Opportunities are crossing our paths all the time. Are you recognizing them? They may come in the form of a phone call, flyer at the coffee shop, or Facebook post. I’m starting to notice that each opportunity gives me more clarity around what I want out of life. Things like creativity, passion, joy, fearlessness, presence, balance, space and trust. Sure, these opportunities may feel scary and doubtful, but that’s even more reason to not let them pass by. Start to notice what's right in front of you, buckle your seat belt, throw your hands in the air, and enjoy the ride!