I recently walked across a slackline. More accurately, I recently tried to walk across a slackline.

I was surprised by how bad I was. But it was fun for me to try. Even more fun for those who were watching.

Trying something completely new can bring quick awareness to our weaknesses — like balance — but sometimes it can uncover hidden strengths too. (My daughter walked across the same slackline and she was great on her first try.)

* * *

Something else I learned: it only takes fifteen or twenty minutes of practice on the slackline to start getting better.

Often, if we embrace the difficulty and awkwardness for just a short while, we can improve dramatically. The problem is, we don’t usually have the patience to be uncomfortable … even for a short while.