Around 2017 I started to train for a one arm handstand.
I was competent in the regular handstand, and was enamoured by the amazing shapes I had seen.
The image of the hand-balancer, poised, legs in the full split position.
I was smitten by the idea.
So, I got to work – every day, set after set, after set.
One day, I did 100 sets (each side) of “fingertip holds,” where the supporting hand is just on fingertips.
I got closer…
And then I realised that I didn’t really love chasing this.
In fact, my physical health was compromised. On top of running a business, the amount of training I was doing just wasn’t serving me.
I’m pretty sure it wasn’t a fear of hard work, it was just a realisation that I was putting the idea of the singular event above the process. I had fallen in love with the thought of being able to do this thing that I saw others doing. It had come at me externally rather than from within.
If you don’t really love the process, no matter how much you put the singular event on a pedestal, it won’t last.
Either you’ll get there, then be disappointed, or, if the task is hard enough, you’ll simply bail, as I did.
What does it look like to embrace the simple act of running, instead of having to do the marathon?
What does it look like to begin writing a little each day, rather than needing to publish a book?
How does it feel to move each day, rather than jump into an 8 week weight loss program off of the couch?
A process can become a powerful habit, a singular event usually just runs its course. Now it’s just a matter of feeling into which is the right process for you.
