The biggest thing that keeps us from moving forward is the simple thought of thinking we are not ready. No-one ever feels 100% ready when an opportunity presents itself. Especially when the opportunity forces you to step out of your comfort zone and face your own insecurities.
The greatest opportunities in our lives usually require us to get out of the comfort zone. As a really good friend said early one morning “comfort is for couches” there is really something to that. When you have doubt, sitting idle allows that doubt to grow larger and loom in front of you.
Change takes courage. I’m not going to tell you it’s easy, but I will say it’s doable. It’s doable if you take that first step and commit to yourself you are willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish the goal.
Take for example my most recent goal of becoming a Triathlete by summer of next year. The first obstacle in my head wasn’t whether I could swim, bike, run. It was putting on a swimsuit and going to the local pool. You see, having freed myself of the excess burden of carrying an additional 168# See Me Here there are things about my body that I’m overly sensitive about. My legs are two of those things.
Initially my thinking was “how can I cover up my legs?” so I bought a tri-suit to swim in. If you’ve never seen one, they come halfway or more down the thighs. After wearing that a couple of times I realized I was being stupid for two reasons 1) A tri-suit is entirely too expensive to be swimming in on a regular basis because the chlorine will eat it up over a very short period of time and 2) No-one really gives a crap about my legs except me.
Yeah, that’s right. Not the swim coach, not the lifeguards, not the others in the pool. Everyone is too busy to give a flip about the appearance of my legs. So moving along.
My next paralyzing fear is riding my bike in the dark. I have a bike light for both the front and back, I have a bright reflective vest, the only thing missing is my nerve. With the fall time change coming at the end of this week, it will be dark morning and evening.
I was talking to one of my friends from work and explained my nervousness. He quickly and very directly said “How have you accomplished your CrossFit?”, you don’t talk yourself out of doing that. Stop thinking. You just have to get out there and do it.
So much truth. So I’m pulling up my big girl pants and will make sure my batteries are charged on my big 1200 lumens Bright Eye light and get to riding tomorrow morning before the crack of dawn. Yes like 4:30am.