You’ll need: 1 rubber band.
If you’ve got one – grab it, but if not, you can imagine it.
So I want you to stretch the rubber band between your fingers.
The left hand: where you are
The right hand: where you want to be.
There’s tension, right?
(Good – there needs to be)
Now, if that stretch is too much, if it’s TOO out of reach – then one of two things is going to happen:
1: it will give up and ping off
2: it will snap
In terms of goals – that means;
1: You will give up, (there’s no point, waste of time. I’m not good enough, never going to happen)
2: YOU will snap, (injure yourself, burn out, other parts of your life suffer)
Luckily you – unlike a rubber band, actually get stronger when your limits are stretched.
Your boundaries move.
What wasn’t possible, becomes possible.
The art, as any BDSM dungeon master will tell you:
is the taking things far enough but not too far.
The right amount of tension.
And keeping it just there…
Just at that point…
So you feel it…
Just before…
OK I’ll leave you with that image and carry on.
So holding the band between your hands, apply just the right amount of tension, so you can feel it, but it still feels safe.
Now move your left thumb a little bit to the right.
The tension lessens, the band gets looser.
In practice, the left thumb is you taking an action towards your goal.
It might be an early night, enough water, a great workout, a chapter written.
Each action moves your left thumb a little to the right.
And now the tension is released – you find that you can go back to that optimum ‘stretchedness’ by aiming a little further.
Stretching your right thumb to the right a little more.
Just a bit further.
Edging further and further in the right direction.
This is where it’s easy to go wrong.
And it’s totally understandable.
It’s in the Venn Diagram intersection between excitement to get cracking, and frustration of things being too far from where you want them.
For Example:
Starting from a ‘bit-too-sedentary’, slightly-too-boozy, not-wildly-healthy-eating’ kind of regime.
To changing everything all at once, signing up for daily classes at the gym, and spending 200 quid at Holland and Barratt.
or
“I’m going to deep clean the entire house, clean out all the wardrobes, fumigate the car, declutter the loft and the understairs cupboard and relandscape the garden.. this weekend.”
It’s too much of a stretch.
You’ll either ping or snap.
Smaller chunks.
Done well – moves the band.
If there is no tension at all, nothing will happen.
Things stay as they are.
Dynamic tension is what we’re after.
It requires action.
Too little is as ineffective as too much.
Walking to the end of the road and back if you haven’t exercised since PE is a perfect way to start.
Or getting one sentence down on paper, in the book you’ve always meant to write.
But if you stay at that pace…Well – you might die of old age before you make any progress you’d be proud of.
There’s something else about rubber bands too.
If they get wet, damaged, exposed to sunlight, repeatedly overstretched…If you don’t look after them – they can’t do what they are supposed to.
They get brittle, they won’t stretch at all – they break down.
They stop working.
Same when you don’t look after yourself.
But you knew that.
Small consistent steps.
Always improving.
Keeping it manageable.
Celebrating the wins.
That’s what Human Upgrade is.
Knowing the right steps.
With the right amount of stretch.
How to take them.
Making them fun.
Doors are open now.
They close again on June 13th and we have 15 spaces.
Whichever comes first.
If you are ready to get things moving forward.
Don’t leave it too long.
Info HERE
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