Episode # 151. Pushing the limits!

I know exactly what my comfort zone feels like. We all have one. Most of us spend too much time hanging out there. I find the edge of my comfort zone when I’m working out. That first moment of “Woah, this is getting hard. It’s starting to feel uncomfortable. I wanna quit. I don’t want to work that hard.” Or that moment when someone offers me a homemade cookie or I drive past my favorite donut place. That feeling of “It’s just this once. I’ll be better tomorrow”.  Riiiiiiiight there on the edge of my comfort zone. It is uncomfortable to push through the workout. It is uncomfortable to say “no” to my favorite things.It’s not comfortable to push beyond the limits. It’s not comfortable to say “yes” when your body is saying “no”. It’s not comfortable to say “no” when your cravings are saying “yes”. But you know what? I had to get really honest with myself and embrace the fact that if I did what I’ve always done, I’d get what I’ve always got.If I kept saying “I’ll start tomorrow” to excuse today’s indulgence.If I kept quitting or throwing in the towel at the start of a workout.If I kept making excuses to have another treat “just this once”.I knew what those things got me. Living right there, smack in the center of my comfort zone, I was fat. I had no energy. I had no confidence. I had no passion. I had no hope.Don’t get me wrong. Your comfort zone has an important role. It keeps you safe. It helps you avoid risk and danger. It provides mental, emotional & physical security.But at some point it limits you. Severely. It keeps you right where you are and prevents your growth & achievement.Consider this: are you living your fullest life right now? Is this life, this body, this career, this relationship all that you want it to be? For me, the answer was no. To get the life I wanted I had to leave my comfort zone. The security of my comfort zone was limiting my life and holding me back from reaching my potential.I didn’t want to limit myself to the handful of things I could have within the confines of my comfort zone. So I stepped beyond it. But here’s the thing: by definition, leaving your comfort zone is uncomfortable. It doesn’t always feel good. But if you want the reward, if you want the joy, if want the improvements then you have to get uncomfortable. The more frequently you break those boundaries the easier it becomes. The more progress you make, the easier it becomes. It will be hard at first.When you wake up in the morning and want to grab that bagel or fast food remind yourself: that is my comfort zone. I am breaking free. I am claiming bigger things.When your day gets crazy and you’re craving candy in the middle of the afternoon remind yourself: that is my comfort zone. I don’t want that life. I am creating new boundaries.When you get home and feel tempted to order pizza instead of taking a few minutes to assemble a healthy meal remind yourself: that is my comfort zone. I’ve spent enough time there. I want something more.When you are ready to quit when your workout gets hard remind yourself: that is my comfort zone. I can’t grow in there. I can’t become the person I want to be if I don’t move beyond those walls.When you go out to dinner and consider going all out and “starting tomorrow” remind yourself: that is my comfort zone. I’ve had that before. I know how that ends. I know that’s not effective. I want more.When you want to sit on the couch and watch TV instead of getting your meals together for work tomorrow remind yourself: that is my comfort zone. I’m not happy there. I deserve happiness.It’s not always easy but it gets easier with time and practice.Remember this quote from Atlas Shrugged. “The world you desire can be won. It exists. It is possible. It is yours.”But also remember this from me: It exists outside your comfort zone.PUSHING THE LIMITS is Key to Finding YourselfWhen is the last time you pushed past your fears?Do you remember the joy of accomplishing something for the first time, something you believed you could never do?The truth is, you have succeeded on thousands of “first” times. The first time you took a step, rode a bike, went out on a date, tried out for that team, drove a car.Those don’t seem like events that had you push past your fears now because at the time, they were exciting!You couldn’t wait to get on that bike and show everyone that you could do it without training wheels, and you were so into that boy in high school that you would have done just about anything to go out on a date with him.And the car….well, how cool were you!So what happened?As we became adults, that excitement to try new things and push past our limits turned into fear.Fear that we couldn’t possibly do THAT.Fear that we won’t be good enough to do it.Fear of what other people will think.Fear that someone else will do it better.Fear of failure.As adults, we let outside influences dictate what we think we are capable of.  We listen to other’s voices instead of our own.Fear keeps us playing small.  It keeps us from being the best version of who we are meant to be.A few years ago took a Leadership course that challenged me beyond what I thought I was capable of.  One of the days involved a ropes course.  I had never done a ropes course before and really didn’t know what to expect.There were many elements to conquer that day, but the one that pushed me the most was climbing to the top of a telephone pole and jumping off.Yes, jumping off.As I stood at the bottom of the pole and looked up, I thought, “You have got to be kidding!”I could feel the adrenaline and fear take over my body. My heart was racing and my palms were sweaty.So, here’s the thing:  I was in a harness. Nothing was going to happen to me.  The ropes-course facilitators were fabulous and had done this thousands of times with other people.Yet, none of that mattered in the moment. I was so consumed with fear that I froze. I climbed to the top and didn’t see how I could possibly jump.I was up there for what seemed like hours, and I was terrified!One of the leaders who happens to also be one of my mentors said, “It’s time!”Yes, it was.Time for me to jump.Time for me to push past my fears and trust in myself.Time for me to let go of everything that was holding me back, not just that day, but in life.I knew that if I could do this, I could do anything.Freedom waits on the other side of fear.Freedom to live fuller and take risks. Freedom to boldly be 100 percent YOU. Freedom of pride in yourself for accomplishing THAT thing that’s been holding you back.Ask yourself, what is holding you back, AND what’s available on the other side?Then, take a leap of faith.I would love to hear your thoughts.  Please leave your comments below.Design your Life, your way Accountability CoachNLP, HWL, PTSAccountability Coach ~ I help you keep your promises to yourself. Taking your life from unbearable to unstoppable.https://linktr.ee/sonyajanissehttps://www.freshapproachfitness.com/xo Sonya,Author, Podcaster, Certified Coach#podcaster #asksonya #keepyourpromises #intuition #happiness #yourstorymatters #Recommendedreads #wellness #encourage #inspire #empower