Once upon a time, there was a Japanese old man who had not engaged in much physical activity. He could not bend over and touch his toes. Then, he decided to gain the flexibility without putting stress on his body. He put together a stack of paper, thousands of sheets, that reached up to his knees. Then, he bent over and touched the top of the stack with his fingertips, holding the position for a little while, which was not at all hard to do. The next day, he removed two sheets from the stack and did the same thing.

Every day from then on, he removed two more sheets of paper from the stack. The difference from one day to the next was so slight as to be practically imperceptible, so he never had any problem bending over, touching the top sheet, and holding the position for a minute or two. After many months, the stack was considerably lower, until there was no paper at all left, and he could easily touch his toes. He had achieved his goal, with no strain, no pain, and no stress on his system. All it took was patience and perseverance. Read More