The saying goes "there's no I in team". Well, that may be true phonetically speaking, but I beg to differ with the cliche'. In order to participate in a team, you, or "I" must do your part. It takes a group of "I's" doing their part for the entire team to be successful.
There's another cliche' that rings more true from my perspective: A chain is only as strong as it's weakest link.
To me, the true definition of team work is a group of individuals doing their part to contribute to the success of the group. Therefore, if one person falls off or doesn't complete his or her part of the mission, the team is more than likely going to fail, or at least fail to reach its full potential.
I'm finding that losing weight is much more effective with the support of others. I know this is not new information, however, I'm finding it to be more true than ever before. It's me or "I" who feels bad when I eat something I shouldn't or miss a work-out, but it's those who are on the journey with me that really make me feel that I'm not holding up my link in the chain.
Therefore, "I" have to do my part. So, I'm putting the "I" in team. I refuse to be the one to blame for the team not winning...
~Tash
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Monday, January 11, 2010
Jump the fence!
Today, I met with a female student who was experiencing extreme anxiety. She was so hesitant to go to class that she literally froze as she stood on the inside of my office door. After several failed attempts to walk out, I had her sit down and come up with a final plan.
"What do you like?" I asked her.
"I don't know," she said. "I kinda like horses".
"Have you ever watched an equestrian event?," I asked her.
"No".
"Well, when you get a chance to watch one, watch how quickly the horses jump the fences. It's like they don't even think about it, they just do it without hesitating. When a horse hesitates, that's when the jockey can get hurt. When they just trust the jockey and know their body, they don't think, they just jump".
The student looked at me after she thought about it for a minute and asked "Are you going to make me jump the fence?"
I replied "Yep. Let's not think about it, let's just jump and trust that everything will be okay, just like it always has".
The little girl followed me out of the door. As we walked, I didn't say a word. I opened her classroom door and said, "I'll see you this afternoon, you'll be fine".
She looked a little unsure, but she went in, and she stayed with her class all day. I peaked in a couple of times to check on her to find her smiling and laughing with her friends and doing her work. She never even noticed I was there. She did it, she jumped the fence and landed on her feet.
As I rode home from work today, I thought about how I spent nearly an hour trying to get that little girl to go to class, but when I said, "okay, forget planning, let's just go," she was fine. I realized, so many things in life pass us by because we sit back and plan, and hesitate and plan again and before we know it, we have scared ourselves into doubt and anxiety.
Sometimes, you gotta just jump and trust that you'll land on your feet. Planning is great, but life is happens as you're making plans.
Getting fit and losing weight does require planning, but I don't have time to wait to put the plan in place. We have to stop saying "oh, I need to lose 20 lbs before my class reunion" or "let me fit into this tux or this dress" or even better "maybe if I lose a couple of pounds I'll find a man/woman". All of the planning and hoping and wishing goal setting is great, but when you hesitate, you may not ever get over the hump. No more time to hesitate, you know you need to move, so JUMP!
~Tash
"What do you like?" I asked her.
"I don't know," she said. "I kinda like horses".
"Have you ever watched an equestrian event?," I asked her.
"No".
"Well, when you get a chance to watch one, watch how quickly the horses jump the fences. It's like they don't even think about it, they just do it without hesitating. When a horse hesitates, that's when the jockey can get hurt. When they just trust the jockey and know their body, they don't think, they just jump".
The student looked at me after she thought about it for a minute and asked "Are you going to make me jump the fence?"
I replied "Yep. Let's not think about it, let's just jump and trust that everything will be okay, just like it always has".
The little girl followed me out of the door. As we walked, I didn't say a word. I opened her classroom door and said, "I'll see you this afternoon, you'll be fine".
She looked a little unsure, but she went in, and she stayed with her class all day. I peaked in a couple of times to check on her to find her smiling and laughing with her friends and doing her work. She never even noticed I was there. She did it, she jumped the fence and landed on her feet.
As I rode home from work today, I thought about how I spent nearly an hour trying to get that little girl to go to class, but when I said, "okay, forget planning, let's just go," she was fine. I realized, so many things in life pass us by because we sit back and plan, and hesitate and plan again and before we know it, we have scared ourselves into doubt and anxiety.
Sometimes, you gotta just jump and trust that you'll land on your feet. Planning is great, but life is happens as you're making plans.
Getting fit and losing weight does require planning, but I don't have time to wait to put the plan in place. We have to stop saying "oh, I need to lose 20 lbs before my class reunion" or "let me fit into this tux or this dress" or even better "maybe if I lose a couple of pounds I'll find a man/woman". All of the planning and hoping and wishing goal setting is great, but when you hesitate, you may not ever get over the hump. No more time to hesitate, you know you need to move, so JUMP!
~Tash
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