249: Challenge Yourself- Friday Fundamentals

Challenging yourself is…. well, challenging. We all want to improve our lives, achieve more success, realize more happiness, and live a better life. Right? Well, we like to pretend we want those things. But do we really? Do our actions align with our words? You might dream of a lifestyle filled with exciting adventures, free of stress, and of course, plenty of money to do what you want. The question is, do your actions reflect your mindset? Do you work towards your goals, or instead do some mind-numbing activity like catching up on the 6 TV shows you follow, scrolling through social media, only to see a bunch of stuff you don’t care about or any other non-productive use of your time? If you’re completely happy with your life, then this conversation isn’t for you. But, if you find yourself wanting more, but not sure how to achieve it, then I have one simple suggestion – challenge yourself! If you think that you are too busy to take on something important, I encourage you to audit your daily routine. Where do you spend time that could easily be spent instead on something more productive? If it’s fear that’s holding you back, try to understand why. Then figure out how to overcome that fear. Chances are, it’s probably not that big of a deal. No matter what, challenge yourself. In order to grow, you must challenge yourself. Do things that you aren’t good at.  Do things that you know you need to but don’t want to. When you take on a new challenge, you’ll probably be pretty bad at it. But you’ll eventually suck less and less, until you actually become good. This in itself is a rewarding process. The best part is it can be anything you want – investing in real estate, running, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, cooking, or even crocheting. If you don’t challenge yourself, you will never realize your full potential. You’ll never know what you’re truly capable of. Some people have a habit of avoiding things they need to do by busying themselves, either with legitimate or made-up work. Being busy isn’t a good metric. You can be busy on the wrong things, or for the wrong reasons. Don’t let being busy be your crutch for challenging yourself. You’re likely not as busy as you think. So take on new challenges. Grow as a person. Find your true potential.