Playing to Your Edge

By Jennifer Faherty | January 7, 2014
Last week I attended a yoga class where the instructor talked about the idea of “playing to your edge – the place in your body just before pain, but not pain itself.”   We want to move out of our comfort zone and feel some uneasiness, he said, but not at the point where we could get injured.

I started thinking about how you could really apply this concept to any goal in life, not just the obvious goals that involve physical exertion, like yoga or another sport, but to any resolution you may have made for yourself recently. 

When it comes to women and money, for example, I often see how staying within one’s comfort zone can begin to become a habit.  With women, it’s often easier, for example, to make financial resolutions having to do with the day-to-day management of their money—goals around budgeting, balancing checkbooks, organizing bills and paperwork, finding deals on how to save and cut costs, etc.—because it seems less overwhelming than say, tackling a subject like stocks, bonds and other investments.   

If you are someone who is motivated to take control of your finances, these are all great starting points and certainly essential for long-term success. 

But is it playing to your edge?  Or is 2014 the year when you should start thinking of taking your money goals to the next level?

Let me suggest some other possible goals around investments, taxes, retirement savings, risk management and earning power that may seem daunting at first, but could play more to your edge:

  • Really understanding exactly why your financial advisor suggested this or that investment — not just taking his or her word for it
  • Learning strategies on how you can negotiate a higher salary
  • Calculating exactly how much you are paying in investment fees and expenses – and seeing if those investments are worth it 
  • Meeting with your accountant to find out the best tax strategies for you this year
  • Saving the optimal amount to invest in your IRA/401(k)


Is it possible that it’s time to start taking charge of these seemingly more complex, loftier money topics — or do you find yourself running for the hills at their mere mention?

If you practice yoga, you know that any good instructor will remind you to listen to your body and do what feels right for you.  If certain financial goals cause you too much anxiety and stress to the point where your brain shuts down or you have little motivation to do them, then perhaps they are not the right goals for you (yet). 

But remember that, for personal and professional growth, some discomfort and resistance are not only okay, but expected and desired.   

It’s not too late to revise those New Year’s Resolutions!  Here’s hoping that whatever goals you are planning to accomplish in 2014, you’ll play to your edge!