I was recently completing a form for something and came across this question: What’s something you’re working on for you (professional development, a new hobby, a trait, or a strength you’re trying to build up)?” ‍

Uh oh. A great question, but I drew a blank. I could make excuses - it was the middle of the pandemic at the time. But I saw lots of people posting on social media about using their time at home to learn how to bake bread, learn a language, and various other bucket list items. What was my excuse?

Then I read the NY Times article by Adam Grant on languishing which he describes as a sense of stagnation and emptiness. “It feels as if you’re muddling through your days, looking at your life through a foggy windshield.”  ‍

And I realized the connection. For me, not challenging myself to stretch and grow in new ways definitely correlates to that languishing feeling. So I started paying attention to what made me curious to learn more about, what skills I wanted to develop for work, and what might just be fun. Those are the directions I’m stretching.

What are you curious about? What would be a stretch for you? 

Use your Flop Ball as a reminder to stretch out of your comfort zone. Take a trick that you can already do (your comfort zone) and go higher or wider. Maybe add more flips or use your other hand. Be curious, play with it, and create something new.