Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Stretching

Credit

Last Friday while I was doing my singing classes, we spent the better part of the afternoon doing some advanced techniques and stretching my voice as far as it could safely go.

It was hard work. I made a lot of mistakes. My voice threw tantrums because I was pushing it out of its comfort zone. But I loved it. Absolutely loved it.

Because pushing myself reveals things that I never knew. Like the fact that yes, I do have the high D in my voice after all. I never knew, because I never tried to sing that high before.

And that's what I like about living my life that way I do. If I get frustrated, I can stretch myself and try something new. In doing that, I can learn something new about who I am.

As a result, I know that I can overcome my fear of water and enjoy rowing. Or that I really do have a second wind when it comes to running.

Or that I can really do a major revision to my ms in a single day because I needed to.

All of these things, I never would have known if I haven't tried.

Of course, that does not mean I have to like doing all of them. Like with my rowing. I stopped, because I wasn't proficient enough at it to enjoy it all the time and the instructors weren't doing what they were supposed to to make sure I reached that level.

But I know that now because I tried it first. I stretched myself and pushed my boundaries.

I will continue to do that, because I think more than doing any specific thing, it's the learning that comes from stretching that truly makes me feel happy/satisfied with my life.

How have you stretched yourself lately?

2 comments:

Sharon K. Mayhew said...

WTG, Misha! I think stretching yourself is so important. It is an amazing feeling when you accomplish something you didn't think you had the strength to do.

I just finished the first draft of my first novel. I've been writing short stories, picture books stories, and chapter book stories for 6 years now. I had several agents tell my one of my pbs need to be a novel. I was nervous about even trying, but I did and now I know I can do it.

Mike Keyton said...

Misha, I wouldn't know a high D if it hit me in the face - but I get your point, and well done. I just hope one of them's not heading my way :)