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| Vol.3.48 | |
The Way of Extensionby Vince PoscenteAuthor of The Ant and the Elephant, Invinceable Principles and The Age of Speed Extension, good. Over-extension, bad. Extend your self in the service of others and you can meet one of life's great joy's - contribution. Yet, over-extend and life's fragile nature reveals itself. Lest you think I'm pronouncing a truth from a lofty perch I am actually looking up from a hole I dug for myself. The last eighteen months was extremely difficult for me and hard on my family. I took on some heavy commitments and the weight was crushing. You might be going through a tough patch right now. This article is especially for you. Learning the distinction between extension and over-extension happened in one of my first Aikido classes. As I was in my stance, Lynn Sensei asked me a very revealing question.
I looked over and grunted, "Over extend? Over extend? I over extend and then see how much further I can reach." As I maintained my over-extended stance, Lynn Sensei reached over, touched my arm and I tipped over. Laying on the mat, my history of over extension rushed past my memory banks. I quickly understood that a different path from now on would be a healthier option. There is a clear line between extension and over-extension. Think of a significant risk you took in your life. How extended were you? If you over-extended, you found yourself scrambling to regain balance. If you risked with a healthy extension your life was challenging but not off balance. Character traits are revealed in how you live. Hiding character flaws can be a full time effort. Hiding flaws can be an unfortunate pastime. How much credit card debt do you carry? How thin do you spread your responsibilities? How much time do you preserve for discretionary activity? This Age of Speed culture of ours is creating the great shake down. The sub-prime crisis and aftershocks in the financial landscape are just part of a greater situation where we have taken on more than we handle. As I climb out of my own challenges I encourage you to take stock of how you are extended you are? In the new edition of The Age of Speed I discuss 20 time saving tips to get the most of your time. In addition you will see three ways to shift from over-extension to extension.
This is easy advice to give and tougher to put into practice. As you move forward in the days and weeks ahead, notice where you are extended and where you are over-extended. Notice how balanced you feel and adjust as you see fit. Meanwhile, I'll be doing the same. Until next week it’s full speed ahead,
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© 2010 Vince Poscente. All Rights Reserved. |
"Do you over-extend in life?"