Focus on the Second Time

Yesterday morning, I did my Makko Ho exercises for the first time in weeks. It wasn’t so much the pain of stretching that I dreaded. It was the time commitment—which, at four variations held for 40 seconds each, is less than three minutes. Ridiculous, right? But such is life!

Still, by focusing on how much stretching would “eat into my schedule” and how unpleasant the first time would be, I managed to postpone a good habit for months. Yesterday, I decided to shift focus: Instead of concentrating on the first session, I concentrated on the second.

As soon as I did that, I realized that my second round of morning stretches only had one requirement: I had to do the first in order to get there. Suddenly, the stakes of my return dropped to almost zero. What I needed was permission, not perfection. Who cares if the first session takes longer? Who cares if you’re bad at it? Who cares about two and a half minutes of pain?

Now, all I had to do was get through one round of Makko Ho. And so I just did it. It wasn’t great, but it was also over as quickly as it had begun. And today, I had the chance to do my second session of Makko Ho. To do it a little faster. To feel less pain. To start thinking a bit about technique.

When the first go-around feels overwhelming, don’t think about it. Focus on the second time, and before you know it, you’ll be back in the saddle.