Showing up

Life is full of lessons.
If we are not paying attention we tend to miss the lesson.
However, sometimes the lesson is so glaring and obvious that it cannot be missed.

Thank goodness.

This happened to me recently.

As a recent yoga teacher training graduate I was offered the opportunity to “try out” to teach at my yoga studio. This involves teaching for 15 minutes in front of the studio owner (a well practiced yogi and teacher trainer) and a group of my peers.

I love yoga. It has helped me on so many levels, I could write a book about it. I can be a student very comfortably. I have years of experience in that role. But a teacher?

Growing in a new endeavor is challenging because my ego has perfectionist tendencies—it would rather not try than try and fail. Or be mediocre. Yet on a deep, spiritual level I feel called to teach others yoga. To share the beauty and depth of the practice.

After a long day at work I began to have doubts and think of excuses to skip the teacher try out. The previous day I had encountered the Woodie Allen quote, “80% of success is showing up”. I remembered the quote and was reassured by it--

“Hey wait! I have done ‘practice teaching’ before and will probably be offered a slot. I do not need to be a super star, I simply need to be.”

However this reassurance was soon replaced by more doubts and excuses (my ego trying to protect itself and talk me out of the plan).I picked up a book of Yoga teachings and quotes a dear friend gave me. I opened to a random page, and THERE WAS THE QUOTE AGAIN!

I had never heard or seen it before and suddenly it appears before me TWICE IN ONE WEEK!? So I went to the “try out”. Once I arrived I felt good. I enjoyed teaching and seeing the other graduates. And guess what?

All of those who tried out were offered a teaching opportunity. The most skilled & eloquent, the least skilled, and all of us in between…

There is a long road to becoming an experienced yoga teacher (or an experienced anything), and....

We can travel far as long as we keep showing up.