Challenge Yourself

I love to start my blogs with a question. The reason for this is because it causes you to pause and think.  So, here is the question of the week.  When was the last time you gave yourself a challenge? Do you challenge yourself enough?  Or have you settled in to your comfort zone and want to nest there for a while?  Hey, that’s ok and here is what I have learned.  The longer we stay in our comfort zone, the more stagnant we become.

High performers like you can only remain in stagnancy for so long and then one day you look around and say to yourself, I need to do more.  I would stop you right there and say, you don’t need to do more, it’s more like this...  I GET TO AND CHOOSE to do more.  I choose to stretch myself to learn something new.  I choose to and get to work on a new project.  I get to try something new.  As one of my favorite mentors Jim Rohn said, “You’ve got to try.  You’ve got to try again.  If it doesn’t work the first time, you’ve got to try and try.”

What causes us to be so afraid to challenge ourselves?

Quite simply we are afraid of the outcome.

Social psychologists say that we may be afraid to challenge ourselves because a challenge involves psychological trauma that brings fear, self-doubt, and insecurity.  However, when we take on a challenge it ultimately leads to better performance, and what we have done is just proven to ourselves that we can do anything we set our minds to.  Isn’t it interesting how that works.

Listen my friends, life is like a roller coaster.  It has its ups and downs, it has its exhilarating times and comfortable times.  It has its hairpin turns and slow turns.  The roller coaster has you anticipating and screaming about the free fall.  When the roller coaster ride is done, you feel thrilled, excited, sometimes peeing your pants and sometimes congratulating yourself on completing this one challenge.  And for some of us we are nauseous and just have to go throw up.  But you took the ride.  You summoned the courage to do it.   Life is the same way.

The magic within us happens when we step out of our comfort zone.  I stepped out of my comfort zone and took on several challenges this week.

1.  I went to a trampoline park and not only did I do the trampoline, I went flying in the sky like tinker bell.  Was I a bit afraid?    I laughed the whole time and when I got down this gentleman summoned me over and said, that was so awesome watching you do that.  We parents were amazed you even did it. We wouldn’t. 

2. I did an outdoor obstacle course. Although it    was the easiest obstacle course, it had some major challenges.  Fortunately, I am not afraid of heights and unstable bridges. Then we went zip lining.  Talk about a big challenge.  It was a lot of fun until I forgot to hit the brakes and used a tree to stop me.  Fortunately, I used the cushy side of my hip and back side. Yikes!  Needless to say, I still have a very bruised tailbone and some nasty colored bruises on my butt cheeks. It was like the roller coaster ride, exhilarating, scary and fun at the same time.

2. Then I challenged myself to do something I swore I could never do and that is painting. Not a wall but an actual piece of art. I went to an art studio and simply started painting a picture.  Two hours into it I said this is like work….it requires focus and discipline.  What is important is that I did it. As an added challenge, I posted it  on my facebook page so I could encourage a friend of mine who has been reluctant to try it.

Here is another example.  Have you ever heard of the Progressive Resistance Principle?  This principle is based on the fact that our muscles must be challenged to get stronger and grow and the same holds true for our minds.

What happens when we stop training our muscles…..we get weak and without movement and a challenge our muscles atrophy.  Remember that your brain is a muscle.  It needs to be worked.  It loves the stimulation.  Use it or lose it. 

It is not an accident that you see so many 7 day, 30 day and 6 week challenges posted out on social media.  Why?

Our highest and best self needs a challenge and there are some definite rewards to taking on a challenge as cited by the Ministry of Programming.

• Challenge yourself and you build up mental toughness. Victory begins in our minds. 
• Challenge yourself and it helps you overcome some of your fears. 
• Challenge inspires courage and you know that is one of my favorite words.  Let your  inner lion roar.
• Challenge tests our limits and when we rise to the challenge there is no going back and we want another challenge.  If we don’t challenge ourselves how will we know our full potential.
• Challenge builds self-confidence and when we are more confident we challenge ourselves to push the envelope even more.
• Challenges cause us to focus to reach our desired outcome.  We become intentional.  

It’s time to say good-bye to your comfort zone and get excited as you plan your next challenge.  What will it be?  Take some time to really think about something you have been avoiding or something you want to start. This week my challenge to myself is to eliminate processed sugar. Think how much better I will feel?

I challenge you this week to find the one thing necessary for you to move your career, health, or relationship forward. It doesn’t have to be monumental.  Start small  and work that muscle.

That’s it my friends.  I hope you received some value in today’s message and I would love it if you would share my blog and podcast with your friends and family.   We all need some encouraging every day. 

If you would like to schedule a free one on one free coaching assessment, simply go to my website www.CoachingwithMaria.com and schedule a confidential one on one appointment. How great would it be if you had a High Performance  coach encouraging you every day?

If you have comments or suggestions, please message me on Facebook, Coaching with Maria.

Until next time, stay focused, stay positive and continue to find new ways of having fun and

NO MATTER WHAT YOU CHOOSE TO BE, DO or HAVE do it with passion.

Coach Maria