"If you fall on your face, you're doing it correctly!"

Low and behold, I was. After holding a pose for about 5 seconds, I face planted onto the yoga mat and the instructor said, "Lauren, thats perfect!" Once I peeled my cheek off the mat, I shot him a look that said "that freaking hurt you @ss, why did you have me do that!?"

My face, and my ego hurt for a minute, and it may have been the impact of my face hitting the yoga may that jumbled my brain to my conclusion today. The yoga teachers instruction can, and should be applied to every aspect of our lives.

As a little kid, you could tell me that something great could come from running through a brick wall, and risk vs. reward aside, I would go for it. There was nothing I couldn't/wouldn't do. Even make a mad dash onto the Patriots practice field after training camp to get Pete Carroll's autograph cause Dad told me to. The mad dash was very short by 3 police officers who started for this ambitious 6 year old, yelling "you can't do that!). Horrified, I made an immediate U-turn, my eyes filled up with tears, and I pushed my Dad, who was on one knee with his arms open for a hug. (Oh, hell no.) I think I gave him a fiercer look than I did the yoga instructor. I also refused to speak with him the whole way home, to save my energy to spill my guts to Mom about what Dad made me do!

Despite little and larger instances, I maintained this drive as I grew up, almost as if I couldn't help it. Literally and metaphorically speaking, I've fallen on my face more than once and have hit more than a few brick walls. The face plants hurt, but peeling your face off the ground is a big "screw you" to whatever/whoever put you there.  The brick walls hit hard but the ones that you do barrel through, have better things than you could've ever imagined, on the other side.

Giving it your all, and trying your best are conventional and inspiring notions we all believe in. But how we turn this belief into actual action, is where life changes.

As grown ups, we have more battle scars than a 6 year old and from those we get our reservations. Reservations that remove the justification of risk for our own "protection". They keep us from going on a big job interviews, cause we're comfortable at work, or from taking our relationships to the next level cause you don't want to get hurt/mess it up. Reservations even keep us from trying a new activity cause you might just look a little silly.

It doesn't sound like protection does it? No, it sounds outright inhibiting. But even those with the most drive, can catch themselves stuck entertaining reservations when making decisions. I know of a handful of friends, and myself personally have been here, recently too. I have, we have, once started the sprint through the brick wall, plowed it over or went SPLAT. We've even face planted, but guess what, we're all still here.

Our battle scars should remind us of how tough we are, and the people who keep us that way. Hold onto your 6 year old self, anytime you can and remember that your drive was there before your reservations. It's what has made who you are today.

If you've been heart broken, you've loved someone the right way. If you've been disappointed by not getting a job or not making some team, you've pushed yourself the right way. And if you're ever remotely vulnerable, you're living the right way.

And today, if you're not trying to run through those brick walls and picking yourself up after a few face plants, you're just not doing it correctly. 

Change it.