Yesterday I split wood for the very first time in my life! And I was incredibly surprised by the enormous gratification of the experience.
I was up at Justin’s family’s home for Easter brunch and his dad had a huge pile of wood in the yard. Justin asked if I wanted to try splitting wood. I felt a little squeamish. Not having ever held an axe, I was a bit embarrassed to be a novice wood splitter in front of his family… It was silly, I know; but the vulnerability kicked up my shyness.
I love trying new things, and this was a really simple, little thing. The desire for the experience was greater than the shyness, so out I went to split some wood.
Here’s a little video of my first successful split.
I was quite excited! … and I heard that Justin’s family all cheered from the kitchen window where they were watching me!
So, what did I learn?
You have to think of the bottom of the wood, not just landing on the top
You have to keep your eyes on the spot where you want the ax to land
You have to stay balanced and neither too close nor too far
And you have to relax and let the weight of the axe do the work
The satisfaction from splitting wood is fantastic! I really want to go back and split some more!!
Later, I reflected on the gifts that my little exercise had to offer: the gratification of learning something new, the pleasure of the experience itself and the laughs when hearing of everyone cheering, were much more meaningful and enjoyable than my initial shyness and anxiety.
This simple, little story might seem meaningless, but I’m taking it to heart as I prepare myself to launch a couple of projects in the next month that will increase my visibility significantly. The anxiety and hesitation are there, I just need to move forward as I did with the wood. Like the satisfaction of splitting wood, I am sure that taking action to follow my dreams will be far more satisfying than staying put.
How about you? Here’s where my experience might help you…
Do you ever hold yourself back because of some anxiety about what someone might think or whether it might not go so well?
I’m sure many of you can relate to my hesitation. And if so, you can use the tips that the wood-splitting brought me:
Think of the “bottom of the wood”… in other words, think about the end result and how great it will be
Keep your eyes on “the spot where you want the ax to land”… just focus on the simple thing you can do right now
Stay balanced… always be sure to take care of yourself. Stay centered.
Relax and “let the weight of the axe do the work”… once you’ve taken the step, just relax and enjoy the process. Things will unfold perfectly.
The satisfaction is fantastic!