Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Risking Comfort For Success

I fell asleep sitting straight up today.
If you follow me on twitter you are ahead of everyone else and know this.  I'm amazed I didn't drool.  It was 1:00 and I literally wanted to crawl on the PT table, get in fetal position, and dream about staying in fetal position for the next hour.  My "sleepy hour" hits me like a truck and I feel like banging my head against the wall only I'm too tired to make the effort to stand up and do so.  Its ridiculous.  After about an hour or so I'm back to normal and operating on adrenaline...and any other legal stimulant that might work.  Kidding,...sort of...

My morning was steady from 6am on.  Mid-morning I was truly excited to help a woman experience the "Ah ha!" moment...made my day.  She's middle-aged, overweight, but not completely inactive....and actually, more capable than she believes.  I gave her an interval to do on the treadmill, 3 minutes walking at incline 15 while holding a dumbbell overhead in 30 second increments.  Immediately she looked at me with the most serious, defeated look and said "I can't do that.  Seriously, I can't."  I knew I was asking her to do something she'd never done before, but I had to push through the moment to open a huge door for her.  I just shook my head and said "Do it.  I don't care how slow you have to go, but do it."  I know she was hating every second of that climb, but the fact that she not only tried, but not once held on and DID IT meant that she was willing to be pushed outside of her comfort zone and dare to imagine a healthier self.  (She may not have analyzed it like that, but for me it was huge).  She got off the treadmill and I think was honestly amazed at herself for finishing.  Why?  I think in part because she's been used to operating from this notion that she's slow, fat, incapable, and nonathletic.  So instead of pushing herself beyond that at the risk she might "fail" (as only she could define it), it was easier to not even try because its safer that way.  No risk.  However, the thing she couldn't see is that by not taking a risk, she completely closed herself off to any opportunity to succeed and prove to herself that she is in fact capable of so much more.
What a reminder that we so often challenge ourselves only to the extent we believe the odds of success heavily outweigh the chance of failure....even when "failure" is a skewed, inaccurate self-perception.
Sometimes we have the boldness to step forward on our own, and other times we have to trust the hand that is pushing.  I was thrilled to be pushing this morning...
It was a great moment, and I really hope she walked away feeling empowered and allowing it to propel her even further forward.

My day continued like a typical Wednesday.  I only had cardio and core for workout.  Naturally, I played the same 8 songs over and over until I was borderline mad at myself for doing so.  Stupid addictive personality.  My workout flew by quicker than I thought it would and before I knew it, there I was nodding off to sleep sitting straight up...
Yes, one area I struggle with is getting adequate rest.  Its not that I stay up late,...my God, every senior citizen within a 10 mile radius goes to bed after I do.  My days are just long.  But honestly, I can't imagine if I didn't love what I do...just think of the bitterness and sarcasm that would seep from this blog?!  Ha.  Not sure the world is ready for that...

Thursday here we come.  I've got back and maybe some biceps tomorrow...pretty pumped about it.  Eh, I'm more or less pumped about every workout to some degree...duh.
Alright folks, tomorrow's a new day, grab it by the horns.

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