To be made both proud and humble doing the same thing on the same day is a wonderful learning opportunity. Out with my kids and my dad we ventured to the science center where they have all sorts of tests for your ability. They have tests for your balance, your reflexes, your hand-eye coordination, your sense of smell, and your flexibility. It was in this last that I was made both proud and humble. The chart above the test said that the average male of my age could sit and reach 12.5 inches so I sat down and gave it a try. You’re supposed to average three attempts and mine came out at 21 inches so I was feeling pretty good about my nightly yoga and flexibility. Later that night I tried out a new yoga routine on my DVR feeling very flexible before I started. Just minutes in I was asked to do the splits in several different stances and I wasn’t even close. I can do backbends and I can balance and twist in all manner of positions, but this was a simple act of flexibility and I am just not there. It was actually an interesting moment of being humbled, challenged, frustrated and thoughtful about whether this was actually something I needed to work towards. I love a challenge so while a part of me feels satisfaction when I achieve something, another part of me is looking already for what the next challenge will be. I was feeling good that I am nearly twice as flexible as the average male my age, but just hours later I was reminded that I still have a long way to go.

I think it is really easy to rest on our laurels, especially when we have done something better than average or when some goal has been accomplished. The thing is though; we need to be reminded that there is more to be done. They say that true wisdom is knowing that you do not know everything. I guess my lessen in flexibility takes that further to say that no matter how much we have accomplished or how good we might be at something, we can always get better. It should never be about comparing ourselves to others like my reading of a chart that says I did well, it should be about motivating ourselves to do more, to do better. My make is not 9 inches better than average, it’s just 21 so next time I should want it to be more than 21. I choose to set a high bar for myself, but the real point is to set a bar at all and to understand that we must be humble or we risk frustration and giving up. We all need goals and we should never be afraid to set them high. Being reminded is a good thing as we can be both proud of how far we may have come and humble about how long the journey ahead still may be.