Stretching Your Capabilities

“When you engage in systematic, purposeful action, using and stretching your abilities to the maximum, you cannot help but feel positive and confident about yourself.” –Brian Tracy

I mentioned the other day about having signed up at the gym and how it seemed as though I was dying since I hadn’t really done that much in the way of exercise in a while!  I’m the kind of guy who, in order to get exercise, prefers to chase a ball around o give me a reason to run.  When you are out competing in a sport it makes getting that much-needed exercise way more fun than when you are simply working out.

I love basketball and have played it since I was a kid, but here in Italy there are not that many courts available since the main sport is soccer and I

am really not that good at soccer.  I also enjoy playing tennis, which unfortunately is not all that readily available where I am and so I have still not been able to get in a club to play. So I decided to sign up at a gym, and I am so glad I did!  There is a trainer there who follows you and he sets you up on a program in order to challenge you to make the progress necessary for your personal needs.

Whatever means that I do get exercise, whether it be at the gym or a sport such as basketball or tennis, I preferred to play with others who were better than myself.  In fact, there was a period whilst living in Taiwan when I had a couple of colleagues and good friends who were really great at tennis and so we made it a point to go play. As it turned out, most of the time I was on the losing end of the game, their capabilities were higher than mine, but this is why I enjoyed playing with them in particular. Eventually I began to win a few times too!

It is fun to win games as it can boost your self-esteem, but I felt that if I could at least become competitive with these guys, then I knew that I was growing and gaining great experience.  On the other hand, if I would always play against others who were not as good as I was at a game, I would never have the opportunity to improve, or would not really realize it if I had or not.  This opportunity placed me in a position to stretch my capabilities and therefore grow.

I feel that if you are always seeking the easy way out,  instead of challenging yourself with something more difficult, you end up robbing yourself of an opportunity to grow!  This is what life is all about, learning to overcome the various obstacles that you encounter along like’s path.  By doing so, you strengthen your muscles in preparation for the next obstacle that comes your way!

Do you seek the easy road or the road that leads you to greater challenge?