The Daily Stretch ~ Day #1 “I can do Excel!”

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Image by Microsoft Sweden via Flickr

In this series, we’re taking the 30-day challenge. Every other day I will post what someone has done to stretch beyond their perceived limitations because after all, the power of slow is about mindful living; it’s about moving beyond what we thought was possible to live out our days while feeding our highest purpose.

When we move beyond our self-imposed limits, we free up enormous energy and bring ourselves closer to our truest selves.

Today I am going to share my own story because, quite frankly, I’m still shaking with excitement at my newfound discovery.

I can be analytical. Yes. Me. The dancer/actor/writer/free spirit who breathes in pixie dust on a regular basis. The tree hugging fanciful funny woman who’d rather do a two-step than clean her house, do taxes or anything boring like that.

I’ve always thought of myself as a creative astral surfing type with little talent for anything that involves graphs or Excel. That is, until I was assigned with writing a full-blown analytical report for a client. To be honest, I was the ‘last resort’ candidate in our team, the one assigned to the job because everyone else was too, er, busy. So I took it on with a feverish brow, a heavy heart and a blend of thrill and fear.

Sure, I breathed weakly into the phone at my associate who begged asked me if I was available.

Yeah. *cough* I can, uh, do this.

And then the survey results started pouring in. We had an amazing response rate and I grew more clammy-handed as each day passed. I grabbed my husband by the lapel and asked him to teach me how to make graphs using Excel. He showed me in ten minutes. And I caught on quickly when it came time to interpret the data. Pretty soon I was changing out colors, switching to 3D modus and whipping out chart titles like the best of them. Never mind that the graphics department will change them around to look uniform and all that. I provided a visual representation, made sense of tons of data and put it into full sentences.

I blew my own mind.

And that is what The Daily Stretch can do for you, too. So come on. Share your story. What border did you bust for yourselves today?

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2 Comments

  1. Joy

    April 16, 2011 at 2:32 am

    Yoga teaches me to stretch on the mat..and then in similar ways in life..and life allows me the flexibilty to stretch on the yoga mat…very cyclical. Today, I signed up for an abundance conference–I was very easily able to switch my work weekend with a co-worker, and to secure a seat at the conference. My friend was going to attend with me, but after I signed up she said she might be unable to go..I am going anyway..although I am unfamiliar with the venue, and the material, I am excited to see what opportunities arise from embracing new and different through fear with arms wide open!

    1. powerofslow

      powerofslow

      April 16, 2011 at 1:52 pm

      Good for you, Joy, for stretching in more ways than one! I find Bikram Yoga to be a particularly ‘clearing’ type of yoga. When you’re sweating in a 100°F with twenty other people, there’s nowhere to hide, and that’s a good thing! 🙂

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