They say good things come to those who wait, or in sporting or professional terms this saying has been changed to good things come to those who work! We are at the mid-point in January now and if you were one of the millions of people who started the year with a list of resolutions as long as your arm, well over 75% have now fallen off the wagon once again. So why does this happen and why does this keep happening when it comes to your short term goals?!
Setting short term goals is very important; these help you to get closer to the long term goals you want to achieve down the line- as we know we cannot run before we walk. I think one of the major problems with us is that we want everything yesterday. This isn't our fault, everything is fast now, food, internet, relationships, conversations, and connections- we are always looking to cut time down, always trying to save time or make it up! The time battle is daily and we constantly feel like we don't have enough of it.
Two things spring into my mind when I think about time and just why I have not mastered a certain skill. I always remember listening to Irish Band The Script and Ed Sheeran talk about their journey to the top, The Script were in LA for years playing small bars and Ed at the start of his musical career was busking on Shop Street in Galway. Now these musicians are at the top of their game with Ed rumoured to be headlining a solo gig at Wembley Area next summer. This part of their stories isn't really highlighted though and all we really see is their success now, their music is everywhere and we preconceive that this just happened- but it didn't for years they struggled with no money and no one taking note of their sound. They worked hard playing all the gigs they could get and surely singing and playing music that made their ears bleed, but they did this and why for the greater good of course. They knew they wanted to make it and make it they have.
I always try and think of people who have made it when I am struggling with anything that seems insurmountable for me. It is a waiting game coupled with working at skills and daily tasks that will get you to where you need to be. I need to remember this though as I fight daily to silence my own inner critic telling me I can't do something. Why is it that our own thoughts can hold us back so much.
So I have well documented my gymnastic struggles and last week on a Friday I couldn't do a forward roll, I literally could not do one... fast forward to 5 days later and after 56 attempts oh hello forward roll. Delighted. The next morning attempted one and failed again and failed on the following 15, then the fear crept in and my negative voice then started to tell me "oh you can't do this". It has been well proven that negative feelings and emotions resonate within the human psyche much easier and longer than the positive, I am aware of this and yet it took me a full 12 hours and alot of tears (yes I physically cried) I think the sheer fatigue of wanting to be good at this and other gymnastic related movements and it just not being there *just yet* for me was all too much.
So I parked it for a few days and went training and focused on other strengths and weaknesses which aren't as hard to master. This is my sore spot, this is my area that may take another 6 months or a year to master. I have however made a promise to myself to keep trying, to keep moving forward no matter how small and no matter how much my mind is telling me to quit.
For me I now have two challenges, firstly the physical of getting the technique and combining all the movements to get the forward roll and handstand but also mentally I need to work on my inner critic and stop her telling me what I can't do. It will be a tough task, she will catch you when you are vulnerable and might not be on your A game but the key is to just keep going and trust in the fact that hard work, dedication and a want to succeed will silence your fear and inner critic.