Stretch yourself - see how far you grow!

Today I did something new, something different. I acted in spite of my fear, I stretched myself and did something that I normally shy away from doing. And guess what? It felt good!

And no, it wasn’t something monumental, just a small personal thing that has bothered me a little for years.  I can’t even say that it has bothered me, because it seldom comes up.

Let me explain.

Donna and I spent the morning cruising around town stopping at tag sales. We had a blast and we came home with some wonderful treasures, including a decorative, hand-painted garden shovel that looks just right on our porch. But today was different. You see, normally if something at a tag sale says $10, I just pay $10. No questions asked. No bargaining, no haggling. Before today I always hesitant to offer less than what someone asked for something.

Which is kind of funny, because when we hold tag sales I always say ‘yes’ when someone comes up and offers me less than what our little price sticker says. When we are pricing things before a tag sale we look at something and say, ‘Put $10 on it, and if someone offers us $7 or $8 we’ll take it.’

But today, I offered less than the asking price on almost everything we bought. It happened so automatically that I can’t explain it. I simply walked up and asked them if they would take a buck less. And I did it over and over, at each of the places we stopped at.

I’m not sure what I was afraid of before. No one looked at me in horror. No one said, “What a cheapskate!” Everyone smiled and said yes! They were happy. I was happy. It felt good.

It’s amazing how you feel when you blast past something that has been holding you back. I have had this experience in the past when Donna convinced me to do a ‘Ropes Challenge’, which was challenging for someone who doesn’t like heights. That really pushed me, and afterward I was really happy that I had acted in spite of my fear.

This was similar, and it is something that we all do on some level. We let our preconceived notions get in the way of our dreams and desires.

The lesson is simple, but it is one that I keep learning again and again:

Live and act in spite of your fear! You will surprise yourself by how far you can reach and how far you will grow!

Peace,

Bob Crawford
Your Success Coach,
and creator of Growing Your SELF!

p.s. Have you stretched today? Have you done something new? something scary? something that you’ve been putting of? If not, why not???