The Countdown – Day 21: Getting Out Of Your Own Way

Last summer, I was introduced to the Alexander Technique, a collection of teachings and exercises to help build better awareness of how we use (and misuse) our bodies, and encourages the release of unnecessary tension in order to move with greater ease.

My aunt – who was my Alexander Technique instructor – made me realize how the way we perform certain movements can make them far more difficult than they need to be. A simple example would be getting up from a chair.

Imagine yourself sitting on a chair, then standing up. You can try it right now.

Now you may have put your hands on your thighs and pushed them down while you were trying to get up.

Give that a second thought.

You want to move up, yet you push yourself down.

Sound weird?

Because it is.

The advice my aunt told me was “get out of your own way.”

Let the body move in a way that doesn’t compromise its movement or cripple its efforts.

This applies to many (if not all) other areas of life.

We get in our own way, and act as the obstacle to our goals.

We compromise our own success.

We hold ourselves back.

Before we try, we admit defeat.

Rather than cheer ourselves on, we mock ourselves with every hesitation we experience.

We continuously remind ourselves of our weaknesses, yet overlook our strengths.

And our greatest strength is our ability to grow beyond our weaknesses.

To recognize that we’re not bound by our characteristics, the decisions we’ve made in the past, or what others think of us.

We can learn what we don’t know, and develop the skills we currently lack.

But we ignore this ability to change, because we identify with our weaknesses and reject any thought that attempts to drive a wedge between us and our weaknesses.

That’s how we get in the way of our success.

Whenever you try to convince yourself that you’re no good and will never amount to anything, be aware of that voice in your head, and don’t identify with it or feel obliged to believe in it.

Recognize that how you think, feel, speak, and behave are all decisions you made in the past and are currently identifying with.

Remind yourself that these are choices you’ve made, and you possess the free-will to make different choices.

Be on your own side, and don’t look for ways you can put yourself down.

Getting out of your own way is essential for you to make progress towards the life you wish to lead, and to translate the hopes you cherish within you into results you see around you.