My family holds a pull-up contest every Christmas Day. I’ve never won. Last year, I only cranked out four and embarrassed myself. The most pull-ups anyone has done to win was ten.
This year, I’ll be doubling that and embarrassing everyone else instead.
If there’s a “one easy trick” gimmick, it’s this:
If you want to get better at something, do it more.
Yes, I know, I literally said sort of the opposite.
Before you read any further and get this confused for some flabby rando’s barely-passable exercise blog — remember, we’re talking The Life Autistic. I’m trying to figure this all out and do my best, and part of that is figuring other things out.
Like ‘greasing the groove.’
If you want the explanations, read Pavel Tsatsouline’s hilarious primer or this Art of Manliness adaptation.
Either way, I realized I’d been doing this since before I learned about doing this.
There’s a way to grease the groove and build strength in your autistic experience.
These days, I can handle public speaking. All day training sessions. Long trips to the grocery store. Leading and hosting meetings back to back. Making phone calls.
I don’t possess the innate autistic strength to manage those. It came over time. It took a little bravery. Some of it was doable. Some of it I’m still daunted by — especially when it comes to visiting people, having guests, or even doing meals (which I enjoy) with people I don’t know.
But sometimes you can grease that groove. Starting slow. Jumping on video. Saying hello. Trying to hold a two sentence conversation with a stranger. Practicing a fun introduction to yourself.
Some of the hard things in the Life Autistic just remain hard; they’re heavy, and I only attack them every so often to better handle them.
Other things need more frequency, and while they’re not always easy, they’re not the heaviest things — there’s a groove I feel I can build here. Maybe you can, maybe you can’t — whatever, be you!
If anything, I know what I’m going to be: The 2020 Hansen Family Christmas Pull-Up Contest Winner.
The Life Autistic 