Obstacles and Excuses

I "shouldn't" be able to do a handstand, here's why:

-I have joint laxity in my shoulders and have dealt with multiple dislocations and other shoulder injuries.

-I have focal dystonia in my hand, a neurological disorder that causes involuntary muscle contractions.

-I have had numerous wrist injuries and a flexibility difference in wrist extension between both hands.

-I have a scar from an abdominal surgery, which apparently is supposed to affect my core activation.

-The structure of my elbow extension is different between my right and left arm.

-I didn't do gymnastics as a kid.

-I have "heavy legs" which make handstands harder.

These are some excuses I can use to justify my not trying. They might make learning the skill more difficult, or perhaps put a limitation on potential for reaching peak form.

However, using such excuses generally translates to something more like this:

-I'm afraid to try.

-I don't want to put in the time or effort.

-What if I fail?

-If I can't reach a high level in a short time, then what's the point?

-I might never get "good".

-Nobody needs to learn that.

We all have our difficulties. They can be leveraged as excuses for not trying, or obstacles to overcome if you do try. The difference is in your perspective.

Keep in mind that you don't have to succeed, "get good", make money, get recognized, etc. in order to be satisfied.

The easiest thing to do is nothing. This takes no effort and involves no risk. You can make plenty of excuses to rationalize doing nothing. After all, you can't fail if you never try.

The other option is to try. Make an honest attempt at your goal. Unfortunately this involves time, effort, and potential risk. It will also likely involve failure. When you try, there is no guarantee of success. There is, however, a small chance you might learn or gain something from the attempts.

So here are two different perspectives:

-"I don't want to try because of x, y, and z limitations. I'm probably going to fail and I'll lever get to elite status."

-"I will try because this is something I want to do. I might be hindered by x, y, and z, but I will do my best with what I have. I would rather try and fail, at least knowing I tried."

As always, just some thoughts to consider.