I got a unicycle for Christmas last year and I’ve practiced at it every day since. As a result, I’ve gradually gotten better at it, though I have had to make some occasional adjustments. For starters, it took me a long time to find a good height for the seat. Once I had that figured out, I discovered that the seat sometimes turns to one side; I always stop and fix that it when I notice it’s gone askew. Earlier this month, I realized that the seat had come loose, so I tightened the bolts that hold it in place. And most recently, I added some air to the tire when I suspected that it might be a bit low. Every time I’ve made these adjustments, my unicycle practice has become easier, better, and more comfortable. I recently started thinking about how this applies to life as well.
Every so often, I’ll think about my habits and routines and see if anything needs an adjustment. It’s easy for me to forget some things that I’m trying to incorporate into my life, so an occasional check-in shows me where I should direct my attention. Whenever I find something worth changing, I try to go easy on myself as I go about making adjustments. This makes the whole process easier and makes me more likely to succeed at implementing those positive changes.
I don’t get upset at my unicycle for needing an occasional tune-up, so why should I get upset at myself for that reason? That’s just part of life and self-improvement. However, it took me a long time to accept this. I used to beat myself up whenever I did slipped up. In addition to making me feel bad, that also made it harder for me to do better next time since my self-talk was so negative. Improving my self-talk and finding ways to encourage myself to stick to my values has made all the difference for me. And, just like with unicycling, practicing this stuff a bit every day has taken me further than I ever could have imagined.