You can’t bend a short metal pipe, not by hand. It’s too rigid.

But the longer it gets, the more you have to work with, the easier it becomes. The same can be said for a piece of wood — a board or a log. Even a steel beam has flexibility over long spans.

Humans are the same.

We’re rigid. In many ways.

The movements our bodies are capable of are limited without time spent stretching and working our muscles.

We’re stubborn in our beliefs until we take the time to learn and expose ourselves to things we don’t understand. With time, that stubbornness relaxes as our minds open.

When learning a new skill we’re incredibly limited at the beginning. Every new challenge is a battle. Yet as we practice over time, our abilities grow and allow us to overcome these same challenges with ease.

We’re all rigid in the beginning, whatever that beginning is. But with time and a bit of effort, we become flexible, able to move more freely. To bend and adapt to changing situations.

Starting is the hardest part. It only gets easier from there.