Time for a little Saturday motivation…
Since I have a half century under my belt, I figure I’m in a better position to share a few things than if I were in my teens (which I sometimes feel I am ;)).
First of all, your training in the gym (or where ever you do your workouts) builds your character so that you can tackle pretty much anything you put your mind to outside of the training arena.
I’m a firm believer in this fact. I’ve lived this fact.
I’m part of a group of highly successful and motivated people. Our goal is to help each other reach our personal goals. One of the members, my friend and fellow Canuck, Rick Kaselj, sent us the video below.
It works for me.
I have goals in the gym, with my family, in my business, in my spiritual life.
This video shows a dude training his a$$ off. You may consider ‘training’ to be just in the physical arena. I like to think that it applies to ALL areas.
Related to this…I recently read a great book called ‘Turning Pro” by Steven Pressfield.
In it, Pressfield talks about all the ways we avoid doing what we’re really called to do. We waste time, we make excuses, we find ways to skirt the issue of our own purpose and value. I believe that I’m put on this earth to serve others and when I ‘turn pro’ it means that I’m being true to my calling.
This video and the book, ‘Turning Pro’ reminded me that I need to be true to myself. When I reach for my dreams, when I’m the best version of myself, I can serve others best and I’ll be the happiest and most content person I can be.
I’m a work in progress. I figure once I’ve ‘arrived’, I’ll take my last breath. Until then, I’ll keep pushing, whether it’s to master the unassisted muscle up, or whether it’s to help my children find their way, or help my clients better themselves with my programs, or what ever. It’s a fun ride in the ‘uncomfortable’ seats.
I used to get a little disturbed when I felt like I was flying by the skin of me teeth. This was when I first started venturing out of my comfort zone. I’ve come to realize that all the fun happens in the uncomfortable seats.
Physical training in the uncomfortable zone is sort of ‘comfortable’ for me. I can do burpees or sit outs or pull ups all day long compared to other things I need to face that make me uncomfortable 😉
I’ll tell you about one of my most recent prickly uncomfortable moments that I forced upon myself because I knew that I needed to do it professionally and personally.
I was invited to Joel Marion’s Super Bowl Party this year. If you don’t know who Joel Marion is, he’s only the biggest name in online fitness next to my mentor, Craig Ballantyne. On top of being super successful, Joel is one of the nicest people you ever want to meet. In any case, I was pretty thrilled to be invited. (Until I got there.)
If you ever meet me, you’ll see that I’m pretty quiet and shy, a natural introvert. The first day of the weekend (it was a whole event that included meetings and such) I was thrown in a room with all the big names of fitness. All men. I wanted to crawl under the table. I felt that I struggled to make conversation and sound half intelligent.
I pulled up my big girl pants and played nice. This was a BIG step for me to be comfortable in a room of important people that I didn’t really know. (In my head I reasoned that these dudes were just regular people that may have felt the same as me.)
As it turned out, over the course of the weekend, although it would have been easier to stay in the shadows, I didn’t. I made friends and good contacts. I would have missed the opportunity to get to know all those amazingly nice and down to earth people. It’ll be easier next time around to be in that situation and it grew my confidence.
Getting uncomfortable. A good thing. In the gym, in all areas of your life.
Have you been uncomfortable lately? Do you need to jump outta YOUR comfort zone?
If you need a push with your training, stay tuned for my Challenge Fat Loss program coming out in a few weeks. You’ll be challenged with short, intense video follow along home workouts.
You’ll want to get your pull ups rocking by then so you can do the MOST intense versions of the exercises in each workout (but there’s room for modification of all exercises for ANY fitness level).
Get better at pull ups HERE.
I wish getting better ‘at life’ had an instruction manual like my pull up program…if you have any tips on that, please share!
PS Get out of your nutrition rut HERE with this free report (no opt in required)
