On getting out of our comfort zones

This year so far has been a rollercoaster ride for me, in a good way! At the start of the year I was only just dipping my little toe into the water with my life & business. I realised that I had some pretty big goals so I decided to commit to trying new things that would take me out of my comfort zone.

You know that saying that if you only do what you have always done, you will only get what you have always had. Well it is true. In order to grow in any area of our life we have to be willing to get out of our comfort zone.

I committed at the beginning of this year that even if something is uncomfortable and awkward, if it’s what I really want, I am going to do it. There is something to be said for the discomfort that comes with facing your fears. Comfort is nice and easy but it doesn’t get results. We are constantly waiting for things to line up just perfectly so we can finally do the things we’ve always been wanting to do. Ironically, things actually never settle down. There will always be “something going on”. And the people who are successful are the people who jump regardless of whether they feel ready or not. If you’re waiting to feel ready, you’re going to be waiting a long time. Sometimes it’s hard, but hard things that are uncomfortable can be just what we need.

Honestly, one of the greatest things that working as a CrossFit coach, competing and training in CrossFit has taught me over the years, it’s this: we can do hard things. There’s something very attractive about the path of least resistance. Being comfortable is exactly that, it’s comfortable. Sometimes, I feel frustrated at the way our entire culture seems to be set up around comfort and instant gratification, because it just makes it that much more difficult to take that harder grinding path. But that path is what brings out the best in us.

I highly recommend asking yourself what worries you/scares you/intimidates you the most, & then going out there, and confronting that thing head on. Look it in the eye, examine it, circle around it and pick it up and really start to understand the monster you’ve built up in your mind. Make the unknown fear a known entity, and you remove its power over you.

And I also recommend sticking with it. In doing the thing that you say you’re going to do. In keeping it real, not giving in to pressure from others, and not bullshitting people. In knowing that if it were easy, everyone would do it, and it is when things get uncomfortable, difficult, interesting, that the real magic happens. In work or business, in life, in health and fitness, with any our goals. You have to promise you’ll show up, and then do that, every day, for the things that you care about. You have to be brave. Otherwise, what’s the point? What’s the point in only giving 80 or 90%? Go all in on what makes you happy.

I recommend being accountable & taking full responsibility for your thoughts and feelings. Don’t let them rule you by playing the victim, blaming and complaining. That just makes us feel powerless. And I don’t know about you, but when I feel helpless, I don’t want to try to do anything. I think, “Why bother? It doesn’t matter anyway!” But accepting responsibility 100% for your life will help you get so much further in reaching your goals. Tell yourself that whatever is wrong isn’t your upbringing, your parent’s fault, it isn’t your boss’s fault, it’s not because you’re lacking willpower or because you’re not good enough or because you don’t have enough money or haven’t lost enough weight or whatever. If you aren’t seeing the results you want to see in any area of your life, it’s because you haven’t taken full responsibility for yourself. Period.

If you are struggling to eat well, it’s because you haven’t taken full responsibility for how, how you are eating. You have an excuse for everything (“I’m too busy to prep food!” “It’s too expensive!” “It’s my best friend’s birthday!” “My cravings are too strong!”) and you have chosen to let these excuses control you and you decided to be the victim instead of taking the harder road and taking full responsibility for the fact that you are in charge of your own body and you can eat or not eat whatever the fuck you want.

There are literally hundreds of examples I could share from my own life as well. I have had my fair share of struggles, but they all boil down to the same conclusion: Step up, take responsibility for yourself and your life, train your mind to perform the way you want to perform, and you will be so much happier. It’s on you how your life turns out.

That’s the thing about opportunity. They tell you to create your own life and opportunities, but nobody ever really breaks it down step by step for you. Pinterest and instagram quotes keep talking about “the hustle” and “owning it” but at the end of the day, no one is going to hold your hand when it comes to actually doing it. You have to go at it alone. You have to create opportunities for yourself. You have to figure it all out for yourself and I know that it’s not easy to do. It requires learning new things, trying new things, making mistakes, being brave, and putting yourself out there a little bit. And not everyone likes that. People don’t always understand what you are doing, and it makes some people insecure when they see that you are changing & growing as a person. But if you are 100% being true to yourself, doing what you love, working hard and following your passion people will start to notice, you’ll get the results you are after and everything will come together.

I’m going to end this post with this quote, from the book, Halfway to the Grave, which sums things up nicely:

“All I’m saying is that sooner of later, you’ll have to come to terms with yourself. You can’t wish away the vampire in you, and you shouldn’t keep atoning for it. You should figure out who you are and what you need, and then don’t apologise for it. Not to me, to your mum, or to anyone.” – Jeaniene Frist