Don't Let Go

I have never been an athlete in the sense of the word where you play team sports. Which means I have a lack of eye/hand or eye/foot coordination. When I did swimming they told me I could never be on swim team because I could not swim in a straight line. This holds true for running- I often have a hard time running in a straight line. But I have trouble with sports/activities that involve coordination and getting my brain to send a particular movement pattern to my body. So the best thing to do is obviously parkour. If you have never heard of it, here is a definition and a video to get you warmed up to the idea.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parkour

Jessie and I went to parkour to really help us for Tough Mudder races. Climbing walls, vaulting over things, running through obstacles, etc. But parkour is so much more than that. I have a new bruise every time, I get so frustrated when I can't climb a wall but so exhilarated when I do a Russian pull through. Watch this video and pay close attention to the Russian pull through. This is the studio we are going to and what we are learning in March. 


https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=zG7HgNvYQ3w#!

This last week when we went to the women's parkour class the instructor Megan was teaching us the Russian pull through. The big thing she said was "DO NOT LET GO" If you are going to fall, do not let go and drop on your head, your body, etc. So I get up there, put my hands on the bar and attempt to put my leg above my head and flip over. I get about halfway through and all of a sudden my butt and arm are scraping down the side of the box, but.....I AM STILL HOLDING ON with one hand. Do not let go.

I eventually did figure it out (sort of). But that message stayed with me of DO NOT LET GO. In so many areas of life, we let go or we do not work hard enough towards a goal. 

For me this was a good lesson at the moment because I am really struggling with starting/working on/and completing my Master's project. I have every single class completed, all internship hours done and it has been 4 years since I started. But for some reason I seem content to not finish it. But when I think about parkour, I think Do NOT LET GO. Work hard on it and finish strong.

Another great article/video about a boulder champion where the secret to her success is DO NOT LET GO.
http://experiencelife.com/article/rock-solid/

So today take a moment and think about what you are letting go of and what you want to not let go of. What are your goals and what is stopping you?

"Life shrinks or expands depending on one's courage." Anais Nin

Have an amazing week.