Is normal shit your shit? Hey, good for you. But when you get bored...walk toward the edge. Trust me (even if you don't know me). Livin' on the edge is something one of my yoga teachers taught me a while ago (you know who you are!). Sure, it got him in trouble—a lot. But living on the edge is simply more fun than the alternative so it's worth most repercussions. Not to mention, the view is better the higher you climb.
Ask yourself: Is it better to look up at a mountain to notice how great it is + how small you are or to climb the mountain + look down knowing that although you are small you too are great?
The edge is that place (on this mountain, say, for visualization's sake) in which you're so close to the peak—to your ultimate goal, your true potential—that once you arrive you have no choice but to look out over the summit. Sure, there's always a chance you'll fall. But YOLO, yo!
It's funny. Nelson Madela said, "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. It is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us." For some reason, we tend to think about falling before we even take our first steps to see what success feels like.
So it's your choice. Stay where you are. Or push past your fears—set them aside—and do something you've dreamed of doing but never gave it a chance.
Practice with simple stuff. Dare yourself to eat an entire carton of mint chocolate chip 'cause maybe you're watching a rom com + just broke up with your man (or woman) + that's your current status/mood. #nomnom
The next day, maybe you're feeling regretful. Okay. Now's your chance to try it again. So, let's say you don't run. Do it anyway Forest Gump-style. One day, you just start running. He did it. You can do it too. But first, get on Spotify, iTunes, choose your flavor + make a very critical playlist. Be sure to include "Back Dat Azz Up"—always gets me pumped! Put your sneakers on your feet, get your earbuds in your ears, hit play + go for it. You're running. You're sweaty. Your legs feel like they might break off. Keep going. Fast forward to your favorite jam. Turn up the volume. You can make it to one more stop sign. You got this.
The stop sign was your edge. And now you're beyond it. It's that easy. It's that fun. And now you feel empowered. Plus, you've burned off at least a few of those calories from the night before.
Visualization, here, is key. My visualizations depend upon my end goal. If I'm working out, I like to envision myself crossing the finish line or making the goal. Or a nice ripped man cheering me on from the side-line. That works too. (Ain't no shame in my game!) If I'm writing, I imagine a big beautiful book—my book. What would the cover look like? Or perhaps I see a magazine open-wide displayed on my coffee table. What if it was my name that was on the byline? If I'm working on a handstand in yoga, I envision myself outside of my body looking at my ass doing the damn thing. And I tell myself, "Get it, girl!"
The visualization is the easy part. See yourself doing it. Be yourself doing it. Whatever it is, now's your chance. Go! Whatever you do. Don't look down.