Learning Something New

Learning something new can be rewarding! It can be exciting! It can also be ... hard. 

Recently I’ve had a few new clients in their first session make comments along the lines of “I’m sure I look terrible doing this” and “I’m embarrassed how bad I am at this.” To this I want to ask “When did we decide the first time we try something new we should look amazing doing it and perform it perfectly?”

We seem to put unrealistic pressure on ourselves to master something new the first time we do it. There are movements I have worked on for years to fine tune and master and some I am still working on. Pilates is about progress not perfection.

Part of the fun of trying something new should be not succeeding right away. If we have to work at it we get that sense of accomplishment when we make progress and then finally achieve it. Have you noticed things you can do easily don’t hold your interest nearly as long? Some of my favorite go-to exercises are the ones I could not do at all in the beginning. I feel good doing them now because I know how hard I worked to get to this point.

I believe we need to enter new things with curiosity, an open mind, and a willingness to fail. That is how we learn and have fun learning. Whether it’s Pilates or something else - give yourself permission to be a beginner and all that entails. Remove the expectations and enjoy the experience. Celebrate the small wins - there always are some! This will make your experience better and your success greater in the long run!