Flow of grace and power ⛸️
Have you watched Nathan Chen's free skate?
What does it stir in you? Nerves? Excitement? Elation? Joy? Wistfulness?
With a flow of grace and power, the performance was captivating and moving. Around 3 1/2 minutes in he appears so deeply immersed in the joy of what he's doing that the smile and energy radiate off his whole being; it's contagious!
Such an incredible performance also brings to mind the immense amount of work that precedes that execution of skill and style.
Decades of practice and training, hours of rehearsal for each routine, careful song selection, excruciating falls and strain of balancing skating with the rest of his life...This moment was a culmination of dedication, passion, and perseverance.
In an interview, Nathan described how the disappointment of his last Olympic performance helped him to reshape his approach...to refocus on integrating balance and other interests into his life and situate skating within the larger perspective of who he is as a whole person.
That sure looks like it paid off!
What would it mean for you to refocus on integrating balance into your life?
What could you accomplish if you were taking care of your whole self instead of pushing yourself to "work harder" at the areas in which you feel you have fallen short?
Skating alone on a rink of ice, performing in front of the world, may feel completely unrelatable.
Yet, you've invested your time, energy, and effort into a job, hobby, or passion and suffered the bumps and bruises, the vulnerability, the disappointment of falling short in a moment that really mattered, perhaps even one where it felt like your fall was on display for all to see.
In societies and cultures that so often push to work harder and faster, it can be hard to remember that you will have your greatest impact and success when you stay attuned with who you are as a whole person.
While this is applicable in all areas, I especially want to give a gentle (though firm) nudge about how imperative this is for the work of promoting compassion and social justice in the world.
Nathan Chen rebalanced his life and won an Olympic gold medal - and appeared to have fun doing it!
What might you experience if you integrate your well-being whole-heartedly into your changemaking efforts?
You matter. You can make a difference. I'm so thankful you're here.
