Have you ever thought about what it takes to be an expert in something? As the Olympics draw nearer (only a few more days yay!), we will spend two weeks watching individuals who are all the “experts” in their chosen sport. But what if you wanted to be an expert at something? I don’t necessarily want to be in the yoga Olympics (yes, people have talked about that), but I do want to hold a handstand and give instruction to my class without breaking a sweat one day. So what does it take to be a well versed in any subject, physical or mental?
In Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcom Gladwell, the author writes about the “10,000-Hour Rule”, which explains that to be successful in any field, you must devote 10,000 hours of practice to it. I truly believe that putting in the time and effort into any specific skill or talent will make you better. With my jobs, I am privileged to work with hardworking and motivated people who have put in their 10,000 hours to achieve their goals in their industries. (As a side note, it apparently takes anywhere from 15-20 years eeps!) So knowing that you probably have another 9,900 hours to go, how are you going to get through it? And how can yoga help?
Yoga helps us to be content where we are in the moment. Some days your flexibility is lacking. It may have been caused by a variety of reasons, but when you are on the mat and unable to access a pose that is usually easy, it can be very frustrating. But with your yoga, you have learned to breathe and know that where you right now is fine because it is what your body requires in that moment. We don’t always need to be Gumby’s or go for the gold when stretching. It is ok to put in “B-“ effort sometimes as it is much better to back off after a stressful day when your mind is all over the place than to force your way into a pose and risk injury. If anything, yoga teaches us to live right here and right now. We need to have goals of where we are going, but staying in the moment helps to make the time spent worthwhile. Just because tomorrow is coming, doesn’t mean you need to worry about it.
So take on the day today knowing that we all must put in our time before greatness is achieved. As Steve Jobs said, “Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become…Stay hungry. Stay foolish.”
In Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcom Gladwell, the author writes about the “10,000-Hour Rule”, which explains that to be successful in any field, you must devote 10,000 hours of practice to it. I truly believe that putting in the time and effort into any specific skill or talent will make you better. With my jobs, I am privileged to work with hardworking and motivated people who have put in their 10,000 hours to achieve their goals in their industries. (As a side note, it apparently takes anywhere from 15-20 years eeps!) So knowing that you probably have another 9,900 hours to go, how are you going to get through it? And how can yoga help?
Yoga helps us to be content where we are in the moment. Some days your flexibility is lacking. It may have been caused by a variety of reasons, but when you are on the mat and unable to access a pose that is usually easy, it can be very frustrating. But with your yoga, you have learned to breathe and know that where you right now is fine because it is what your body requires in that moment. We don’t always need to be Gumby’s or go for the gold when stretching. It is ok to put in “B-“ effort sometimes as it is much better to back off after a stressful day when your mind is all over the place than to force your way into a pose and risk injury. If anything, yoga teaches us to live right here and right now. We need to have goals of where we are going, but staying in the moment helps to make the time spent worthwhile. Just because tomorrow is coming, doesn’t mean you need to worry about it.
So take on the day today knowing that we all must put in our time before greatness is achieved. As Steve Jobs said, “Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become…Stay hungry. Stay foolish.”
