There’s a fine line with so many things in life – not enough and too much, good and great, borrowing and stealing, genius and insanity, being bold and being reckless, life and death, etc. Today I’m going to explore the concept of the fine line in regards to pushing ourselves physically and in regards to our chosen work.
The Physical Fine Line
How hard do you push for what you want to achieve physically? Do you have health or athletic goals that you want hard? I sure do! My goals are multi-layered and overlapping so I have to take extra care that I don’t cross over that fine line from not enough to too much. As a chronic Too Much-er that does things to the -est, I have to be extra vigilant about staying on my fine lines.
Recovery
This has to come first. So with each workout, I take extra time to not only do a full mobility session at home beforehand, but I do an extended warm-up at the gym followed by warm-up sets before each exercise. I am constantly checking in with my body to see what it is ready for, what is my healing progress, and where is each day’s fine line that I can push up against.
Gym
Then I can push into that day’s fine line at the gym. Because of my healing journey, my fine line is not as far to the Push side of the line as my muscles can handle, but I have to honor all parts of me or else I will cross into injury territory. 3.5 years into the journey, I don’t want to mess things up!
OOPS!
Yesterday I went to see the world’s best PT, Sue Torrence. Remember that tubing trip we went on a couple of weeks ago? The one where I really hurt my sacrum? It turns out it really did a number on my left SI joint. I have to take extra care of these two joints since I no longer have a pubic joint. She got my left side unlocked and moving again, but that is a huge reminder to be more cautious than I already am with the very few risks I even take in the first place.
Competitive Lines
My new sport of bodybuilding is insanely competitive. Those that walk that fine line in every regard come out on top. Good becomes great. Purposeful sets, deliberate and consistent posing practice, perfect diets – without crossing the line into too much, this is what it takes. The question is, what is a competitor willing to give? Can they find that fine line and stay on it?
The Fine Line with Work
My best example of this is Lucas and his new work ethic at college compared to what it was in high school and years prior. He was never interested in doing more than the minimum, did not want to revise or have others proofread his writing – first drafts were good enough (admittedly they were often excellent so he let his ego guide), and penning them the day before they were due was par for course. Now, he writes early, revises many times, asks for proofreaders, and is truly rising to his best level. Good to Great.
The difference between good and great is often an extra round of revision.
The person who looks things over a second time will appear smarter or more talented, but actually is just polishing things a bit more.
Take the time to get it right. Revise it one extra time.
– James Clear
Photography
I’ll apply it to my photography. I am picky. I can spend days on one single image. Rarely do I deem an image Done. This probably puts me on the other side of the fine line into Too Much. However, with this month’s Project 31, I am pushing myself to let the perfectionism go and ride the fine line every day. Some days I hit on something I love and some days are just ok but I learn more along the way and move forward. Today’s images don’t do anything for me, but they were fun to create. I’m ok with that being enough.
Your Fine Lines
Apply this concept to anything that is your work or important in your life. How does it land for you?
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