USELESS! or are you being stretched in order to reach your potential?
By cloudwatcher
@cloudwatcher (6861)
Australia
September 27, 2010 4:09am CST
Bright and colourful / plain brown / big or small / thick or thin - they come in various thicknesses, strengths and colours, but no matter how attractive or strong they are, they are USELESS unless they are STRETCHED.
Have you tried using a RUBBER BAND without stretching it? It is useless. It CANNOT work unless it is stretched.
PEOPLE are like rubber bands. While it MIGHT be possible to meander through much of life without being stretched, it would be a monotonous and unproductive life.
“Rubber band” people are the ones who achieve. Don't you love being stretched? Sure, it might hurt a bit at the time. It might cause a few hardships. It will surely be a challenge, but isn’t the result worth it? Doesn’t the resultant satisfaction of achievement and/or character growth wipe out the memory of the “stretching”?
[i][b]How much could we achieve this week by allowing ourselves to be stretched?
How many new talents can we unearth?
How many things could we fix?
How many PEOPLE could we help?[/b][/i]
Henry Ford said: There is no man living who isn't capable of doing MORE than he THINKS he can do.
Thomas Edison said: I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.
George Bernard Shaw said: You see things and you say 'Why?' I dream things that never were and I say, 'Why not?'
More quotes (author unknown)
# Unless I attempt MORE than I CAN do, I will NEVER do ALL I CAN do. If I do not do all I CAN do I am a FAILURE
# I am going DOWNHILL when my work is EQUAL to my ABILITIES.
# Our strength often increases in proportion to the obstacles imposed upon it
# The greatest waste in the world is the difference between what we are and what we could become
And my favourite, found in the diary of missionary Jim Elliot, killed by Auca Indians:
“So live, that when you come to die, you have nothing left to do, but die”
So -
How do you react to being “stretched”?
What have you achieved that you thought you couldn’t?
Was it worth being "stretched"?
2 people like this
6 responses
@RawBill1 (8531)
• Gold Coast, Australia
27 Sep 10
Hi Cloudwatcher. You have provided some fantastic and inspirational material here. 
Some of these quotes I have heard before and I have heard many like them in seminars and books that I have read. You are right,we must keep stretching ourselves and learning. We must keep ourselves moving like flowing water or else we become stagnant.
There was a time not all that long ago when I only dreamed of being self employed and working from home. I was always working in a negative environment with negative people who were very stagnant. Over time though through reading and watching motivational books and DVD's, attending seminars and associating with more positive people who were stretching themselves, I realised that I had stretched myself and had grown. 
I then had the confidence to quit my job and work from home. This was considered a very risky move by those who had never stretched themselves, but those who had already grown, applauded my move. It was scary not having a regular income to rely on, but 4 years later, I am still working from home and have never looked back. There have been some hard times when I have briefly thought about returning to my trade, but I know that if I did, it would be too easy to contract my stretchiness and fall back into the trap of their negativeness. 
Some of these quotes I have heard before and I have heard many like them in seminars and books that I have read. You are right,we must keep stretching ourselves and learning. We must keep ourselves moving like flowing water or else we become stagnant.
There was a time not all that long ago when I only dreamed of being self employed and working from home. I was always working in a negative environment with negative people who were very stagnant. Over time though through reading and watching motivational books and DVD's, attending seminars and associating with more positive people who were stretching themselves, I realised that I had stretched myself and had grown.
I then had the confidence to quit my job and work from home. This was considered a very risky move by those who had never stretched themselves, but those who had already grown, applauded my move. It was scary not having a regular income to rely on, but 4 years later, I am still working from home and have never looked back. There have been some hard times when I have briefly thought about returning to my trade, but I know that if I did, it would be too easy to contract my stretchiness and fall back into the trap of their negativeness. @cloudwatcher (6861)
• Australia
27 Sep 10
CONGRATULATIONS! I love to hear success stories like that, but I must admit there are many more "if only" ones. Keep on being stretched. There is even greater victory ahead.
While my first response to a challenge is usually "I can't do that!" thankfully I move on and I can look back on huge achievements. That is just as well. Since I present workshops on motivation, potential etc it wouldn't be helpful if I refused to be stretched myself, would it?
1 person likes this
@Hatley (163776)
• Garden Grove, California
27 Sep 10
hi cloudwatcher oh yes I have been there and have been stretched and tried my darnedest but I have only about thirty percent useage back in my left arm and hand. I had a bad fall resultingin a smashed shoulder and thus surgery for an artificial shoulder joint replacement. m,any weeks of physical therapy with all sorts of stretching but sadly I only lot back a little of rhe use of my left arm and hand.I attempted to do more th an I could do but still I am not like I was before the fall. but my physical therapist always said you can always do more than you think you can.
and when I am tired and my bad leg bothers me I urge myself on that last twenty feet as I really can do more than I think I can.you are exhausted but something comes up and you are wanted down stairs. okay here i go one step twenty one hundred take the elevater go ten more steps. it is your mail, now retrace all those steps and yes you can do it you can always do it.
2 people like this
@cloudwatcher (6861)
• Australia
27 Sep 10
Hi Hatley. I already KNEW that you are one person who would accept stretching and would persevere and would achieve to the limit of your ability and beyond. You have ALREADY been stretched and have shown that you are made of stronger stuff. You are an example to the younger ones who give in so easily.
1 person likes this
@gabs8513 (48686)
• United Kingdom
9 Nov 10
Hi Cloud
I know I am well behind but I have a lot going on right now and I have just noticed how far behind I am
Yes I have achieved and felt stretched but it was worth every stretch....... I have brought up my Children while trying to survive, I worked while bringing them up, so my Ex Husband could not take away that bit of Independence from that I had, I was forced to work to survive
I hope that you are alright, I am a bit worried about you because I have not seen you in a while
Your little Nephew is sending his Love and Kisses and I send my Love and warm Hugs
@abbey19 (3106)
• Gold Coast, Australia
1 Oct 10
I know how much you have been "stretched" throughout your life my dear friend, and because of it, you have grown into the person you are today - overcoming huge challenges and gaining many achievements along the way!
We may not embrace being "stretched" initially, but if we allow ourselves, it can be a truly rewarding experience - and a great sense of achievement knowing you have done what you thought you couldn't!
@cloudwatcher (6861)
• Australia
1 Oct 10
Thanks Abbey. I must say (with hindsight) that I am very thankful for the "stretches" in my life, even though I would have been pleased NOT to have experienced some in my early years.
To be honest I am missing the constant stretches of the past 10 years, which is probably what prompted this discussion. It was such a rewarding experience to accomplish and complete something that seemed impossible at first thought.
@cloudwatcher (6861)
• Australia
27 Sep 10
Hi Dawn. My first response to a challenge is usually "I can't do that!" but I have to admit that my most satisfying achievements have been the things I thought impossible.
They tell us that even the most brilliant people only use a tiny amount of their mental capacity. Considering the enormous advances we see today, especially in technology, I wonder what would happen if people started using more than their estimated 10%? I don't think I'd want to be here.
2 people like this
@cloudwatcher (6861)
• Australia
27 Sep 10
I was thinking of the mobile phone. I can manage to make and receive a call when I am away from home, but when I see young people and all the things they do on a "phone" I am staggered.
Something to eliminate harm to the environment would be something. I've had family here for the last week and my little 7 year old granddaughter could have taught people a thing or two. We went for a walk in a wetlands park. She and her sister were ahead of us and were crossing a bridge over water. She was absolutely horrified and shocked and I thought there must be a body or something in the water. It was a bit of litter!
1 person likes this
@bagputza (504)
• Belgium
27 Sep 10
Good evening dear friend , cloudwatcer , if i understand right the discussion , when you say been streched , i guess you mean that exercing a certain quality different people do get . I mean tha every one of us has the potential of doing something alot greater then we usually do without "streching" ourserlfs.
Well when i used to be a kid , i used to work with my step father on the construction site of our home , but i've never liked working with him , because he tooked more then half an hour to think about what he will ddo before doing it , and this was driving me nuts , so as result , i've never worked with him at my full potential , but now i have my own job , and a job that i am atracted of and like it a lot , so i give all my interest to be as best as i cann be to what i do.
Cheers
Florin , Over and Out
1 person likes this
@cloudwatcher (6861)
• Australia
27 Sep 10
Thank you for your response bagputza. My use of the word "stretched" infers being challenged to do something new - something you think you can't possibly do because you don't have the ability - and then completing the thing anyway.
I am so pleased that you enjoy your work. As someone once said, "Find a job you enjoy and you will never have to work again"
