This is the Law number 10 – The Law of Rubber Band. As read and understood by me.
Rubber Bands are useful only when they are stretched! That can also be said of us.
Growth Stops When You Lose the Tension Between Where You Are and Where You Could Be
“Only a mediocre person is always at his best”
Life is a Series of Stretches
God’s Gift to us: Potential. Our Gift to God: Developing it.
This is done by getting out of our comfort zone. By continually stretching – not only physically but also mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
LIFE BEGINS AT THE END OF OUR COMFORT ZONE.
What are some stretches you have experienced in your life? How have they developed you and challenged you?
Is there some place in your life right now you need to stretch?
THE BENEFITS OF TENSION
- Few people want to stretch – It is easy to be Average
- Settling for the status quo ultimately leads to Dissatisfaction
“If you plan on being anything less than you are capable of being, you will probably be unhappy the rest of your life.” – Abraham Maslow
If you choose comfort over potential. You must be willing to leave behind what feels familiar, safe, and secure. You must give up excuses and push forward.
- Stretching always starts from the inside out
You cannot travel within and stand still without – James Allen
Instead of wishing, wanting and waiting, people need to search inside themselves for reasons to start.
It’s wise to remember that our situation in life is mainly due to the choices we make and the actions we do or fail to take.
- Stretching always requires change
Stretching requires we believe we can start again.
- Stretching requires we develop the ability to stretch
- Stretching requires risk
- Think about this quote: “It’s never too late to be what you might have been.”
People who take risks learn more and faster than those who don’t. Their depth and range of experience is often greater. And they learn how to solve problems. All of those help a person grow.
- Stretching sets you apart from others
The way to get ahead is to over-deliver
Your goal, should be to make your bosses smarter, your team more effective, and the whole company more competitive because of your energy, creativity, and insights.
Improving yourself is the best way to help your team.
- Stretching can become a lifestyle
“If you won’t be better tomorrow than today, then what do you need tomorrow for?” – Rabbi Nahman
When we stop stretching we stop really living.
“The greatest enemy of tomorrow’s success is today’s success. No one has even made a significant impact after they won the Nobel Prize.” – Peter Drucker
Remember, success is not an arrival place to stop stretching.
- Stretching gives you a shot at significance.
“The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world’s problems.” – Mahatma Gandhi
People who are successful continually leave their comfort zone and stretch toward their capacity zone.
“To be what we are, and to become what we are capable of becoming, is the only end in life” – Robert Louis Stevenson
- Stretching to the end
Your stretching goals should be SMART:
Specific – words like “more, bigger, faster” are not specific
Measurable – without measuring, how do you know if you succeeded?
Attainable – they should be something you WILL actually do
Realistic – they must be something you CAN actually do
Timed – without a timed arrival, you are only creating a wish list