Do you ever feel like you are walking on a tightrope?

I’m fascinated by tightrope walkers. So much so that I have watched numerous YouTube videos of people showing how to do it. It is an art for sure. These days they call it “Slacklining” but no matter what you call it, I am fascinated by it. I mean geez, how in the world can someone walk on a thin line of rope?

Since I am always finding what I call “life lessons” in things around me I was not surprised to discover that there are many techniques used in this art that are very useful in my daily life. I know I’ve used the term more than once in my “carnival-like life” saying, “I feel like I’m walking on a tightrope”. Have you ever felt that way? Nowadays when I start to feel that way I have some tools I can use to get me through it. These are things I learned from watching these videos and putting them together with life. I hope you can find some use for them as well.

Here are some words of wisdom from a few of the “Slackliners” I’ve watched.

• To start – Always keep looking at the end.
• In the beginning, it is about patience.
• Balance – keep your center of mass centered.
• Keep moving.
• Feel where the line is and do it with control.
• Feel the line. Stand straight.
• Your body learns how to react on the shakes.
• Train your fear like a muscle.
• Don’t look down. Keep your eye on the prize.
• Be aware.
• Don’t try to control the line – this is not a good tactic.
• Relax – smooth movements. Don’t be too stiff in your body AND don’t be too stiff in your mind.

Let’s explore each of them in more detail:

To start – Always keep looking at the end. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve started something only to get in the middle of it and lose track of the end goal. It feels like falling off the rope or like getting derailed. Ugh! Stay focused on the goal.

Learn balance – in the beginning, it is about patience. Ahhhh there is that word PATIENCE. That word is sooooo important in life. It is not in my nature to be patient and is something I work on daily. I have to remind myself that it takes time to learn a new skill and the only way to get good at something is to be willing to be bad at it to start. I remember seeing a church sign that read…”Patience is a virtue that carries a lot of wait.” Hahahaha. 20 years later I am still using that one.

Balance – keep your center of mass centered. First of all, I have learned that we get to a balanced state by being unbalanced at first. A pendulum swings back and forth before it settles into a balanced state. I like to imagine the slackliner walking out onto the line, a bit wobbly at first until they find their balance. They use their arms to help them but they must keep their core centered. If not, they will fall off immediately. Stay centered inside your body.

Keep moving. This is a big one too. It is called “tightrope walking” for a reason. It isn’t tightrope standing. They must stay in motion to get to the other side. Stay in motion by taking action.

Feel where the line is and do it with control. When I am starting to fall off course in a new venture or task or working through a problem, I often feel like I am no longer in my body. There is nothing worse than feeling out of control. As I find myself spinning out of control I am learning to recognize what is happening and make the choice to get back in. I have to feel my way back in control. Remain in control.

Feel the line. Stand straight. This one is a lot like the previous one but is worth its own exploration to me because it is a good example of how important it is to pay attention to our posture when we are doing something that requires our focus. I find it amazing how sometimes a small shift in my posture to sit or stand up straight opens the portal for the answer to come into my mind. Sitting or standing up straight also brings us back into our power. It is a power state. Feel where you are and stand straight.

Your body learns how to react on the shakes. I especially love this one. It reminds me of the quote, “Smooth sea never made a skilled sailor”. So often I have found myself wanting life to be easier and things to go smoother but I’ve learned that is childish thinking on my part. I’ve learned that skilled sailors make it look easy. It is so important to remember that when we see people who make it look easy…the truth is it is easy to them now because they learned to “react on the shakes”. They put in the time and training and were willing to fail and do it poorly at first. And, they kept going. They persevered in the midst of the storm. They were tenacious and didn’t give up. Now, they make it look easy but it wasn’t always that way. When the shakes come thank them for being there. The shakes are your friend, not your enemy.

Train your fear like a muscle. Let’s face it, fear is a recurring part of life. We are never going to wake up one day and find that fear has been wiped out of our lives. So now that we agree on that, let’s talk about what to do with it. I like this quote, “Fear is nothing more than an obstacle that stands in the way of progress. In overcoming our fears, we can move forward, stronger and wiser within ourselves”. I also like the idea of “training” my fear. It means to me that I have a choice. I get to choose what to do with fear when it pops up in my way. I get to choose how I view it. I prefer to see it as something I can conquer (over time with patience. Sigh. LOL) through training. The very idea of training it like a muscle brings to my mind a scenario of a gym where people are lifting weights to build muscle. What a great way to see it! Next time you feel some fear you can talk to it and remind it you are the boss and thank it for the opportunity to build your muscle.

Don’t look down. Keep your eye on the prize. Slackliners aka tightrope walkers never look down. When they look down they are immediately thrown off balance and they will fall. It is the same with us…when we take our eyes off the prize in any situation of great importance to us, we are immediately thrown off balance. It can set us back, we can swim around in a sea of confusion, or it can even stop the project for a time and cause us to have to start over. Heed this advice…Stay focused on the prize.

Be aware. This is an interesting one to me because I think we have to be aware and not be aware at the same time. It is kind of like driving a car. We have to be aware of a lot of things like the speed limit, where we are going, and what is happening ahead of us. It is like we are “tuning in”. This is an important key to life, tuning in to the flow makes for a much smoother ride. Hmmmm I think that may make a good blog post on its own lol.

Don’t try to control the line – this is not a good tactic. In slacklining terms, this means that you should avoid overreacting to the movement of the slackline beneath you. Instead of tensing up or making abrupt movements to counteract the line’s motion, it is better to maintain a relaxed posture and let the line find its natural balance. By doing so, you can develop better balance and stability on the slackline. How good of an analogy is that? Avoid overreacting. Do not make abrupt decisions in the situation. Instead, remain in a relaxed state and allow the problem space for the answer to come.

Relax – smooth movements. Don’t be too stiff in your body AND don’t be too stiff in your mind. Relax. Relax. Relax. So many situations go smoother when we are in a relaxed state. Resistance is a normal reaction for most of us. Our tendency to want to be in control (stiff in our minds) actually causes our bodies to tense up. When we are tense we are constricted and answers can’t flow in. When we are in a relaxed state in both mind and body we are in a state of expansion. Get this, I noticed that when I just typed the word expansion I naturally breathed deeper! Wow, so cool! When we are in a state of expansion our minds are open to receive answers that we wouldn’t normally be able to see. Relax. Relax. Relax. And again, I say, relax!

I hope you’ve enjoyed my life lessons from the art of tightrope walking. I think one of the most important messages and/or themes in all of this and in life is…Life is a journey, not a destination. Getting good at something takes time, patience, and perseverance. Let us remember to enjoy the journey along the way. We will fall down. We will get back up. We will fall again and get back up again. And, when we least expect it we will realize that we are walking so smoothly on that tightrope it will feel like we are walking on air!

Love always,

Suzi