Biting off More Than He Could Chew
Have you ever bitten off more than you could chew? I know I have. Sometimes I feel like I’m just going to choke on all that I’ve taken on.
Next week is a perfect example.
- On Tuesday morning I’m doing a workshop in the morning for the Unemployed Professionals Group in Portland, Maine.
- On Tuesday evening I’m doing a workshop for the Maine Women’s Network.
- On Wednesday I’m doing a telephone interview/class for the Personal Environments group of Coachville.
- On Saturday I’m competing in a Toastmasters Humorous Speech contest.
Of course each of these presentations requires preparation work and practice. Of course I still have a family to care for, household chores that need to be done and a full-time job.
Did I bite off more than I can chew? I’ll let you know next Saturday night after I have a nervous breakdown. 
According to Barbara Stanny in her book Secrets of Six Figure Women one of the secrets is to start biting off more than you can chew. I don’t think it was worded exactly like that, but it basically points out the need to step out of our comfort zone, take on challenges we don’t think we are ready to handle (but most likely we’ll rise to the challenge!) and allow ourselves to grow rather than remain stagnant.
Well, I must surely be on my way then!
But then my husband, Gerry, told me a bout a recent news story about a Burmese python who bit off more than he could chew–an alligator! I thought he was joking until I read the article myself. Yikes!
You can read the story here:
http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/10/05/gater.python.ap/
So how do I feel about biting off more than I can chew now? Excited! Challenged! Like I will be able to rise to the occasion.
Luckily if I find I’ve bitten off more than I can chew, my self-explosion will be figurative–unlike the python in the news story. But no matter how the week turns out, I’ve stepped out my comfort zone and tried to push myself harder than I typically do. And that is a good feeling in and of itself!
What are you doing to challenge yourself? Tell me about it by posting your comment.
