13.2

(it should be pretty easy to figure out the titles after awhile)

watching the first half of the BCS game between 'Bama & the Domers is really making me wonder about expectations and reality.  the sports guys will always talk about the "cinderella" or the "david v. golalith" stories when a team is playing beyond their known abilities.

this idea got me thinking about our "known" abilities.  i think we all have a known quantity and level of  ability.   and, i think in my own example i probably have played to or just below my ability on most occasions.   and, that is NOT a good thing.   why is that?  why not play to a higher standard?  why not make the exception to play below my ability on that very rare instance?

my biggest example has been in how i deal with my relationships.   yeah, back to 13.1  :)
but, i can say that is has occurred alot in terms of when i have been at a new employment opportunity.   the root cause in my opinion is due to not staying in the present.  it is about wanting to be somewhere else, more exotic, more exciting, and a bunch of other non-boring descriptions.

this idea dovetails with an article i read about strengthening the brain.   deepok chodura was the author i believe.   boiled down, the idea is that you have to exercise the brain with creative tasks, such as poetry, reading, writing, something outside your normal, drab, numb activities.   he says the key is to make to break out of a normal, standard routine.   just like your body muscles, they will get used to something and then gains become minimized.   he also specifically mentioned allowing yourself to love and be loved.  that idea really seemed to connect to me.   funny, how you can see connections, especially when you have tuned yourself or maybe in my case turned on the tuner.  :)

so, where am i going with this?

i think the idea of pushing yourself, especially pushing/growing your mind is what helps us to play above our "normal" level.   funny, how stuff seems to connect at times.

so, what does this mean for me?

i have to continue to strive to become less private about my feelings for people in my life.  i have to allow myself to be hurt again because the upside is so much greater than the downside.

-tffjr