goodcynthesis

Working to fail

Working out at the gym today my trainer had me work “to failure,” working my muscles until I couldn’t do another rep. I don’t do that all the time but today we were working on muscle endurance. I had two thoughts. The first, that people talk about that with creativity, work until you fail and then work some more. Anne Lamott talks about shitty first drafts. I need to work to failure more often.

The second was that I have been working to failure as we approach the end of the school year. The days have been full of wonderful things but maybe too many. This weekend we saw a play, a musical, went to a dance recital and youth group and brunch and a pool party. We can do it because in another week we’ll be done with it all and we’ll take deep breaths and shift into summer.

I want to risk a bit more, build my creative endurance, work to fail a little more often so that when I take a deep breath I will have grown.