Let Discomfort Be Your Friend and Watch How Your World Opens Up

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uncomfortableWhat would happen if you stuck with something even though it required you to face daily discomfort? 

I have a few things I could ruminate over – some big, some small. For example, what if I took three minutes a day and did ten push-ups? What if I stopped eating after 7 p.m. even though I desperately craved a piece of chocolate? What if I kept devoting 10 minutes a day to learning Italian instead of giving up on it after only a week? I’d surely be able to carry on a conversation at this point!
 

I think it’s safe to say that if I stuck with at least one of these things, I’d be much closer to the version of myself that I envision. (Sigh.) The truth is, as moms, we tend to let the needs of those around us  —  I’m talking to you kids and spouses!  —  become our number one priority. Our goals quickly become part of the items we stow away into pretty little storage boxes, to be attended to, someday.

But what would happen if we didn’t let the hectic schedule of life get in the way? Often we let our current circumstances dictate where our attention lands, and in doing so, we give up going after goals that are important to us.

It’s Not You It’s Me

The real reason behind it all is not my kids, or my spouse, or anyone else. It’s all about me and the fact that I’m not holding myself to a higher standard. I’m limiting my abilities instead of pushing them.

I see this in many of the clients I’ve had over the years as well. Our number one excuse is our kids and their crazy schedules  —  that we have set up for them! I’ve heard countless times from clients the reasons (which are more excuses) why they’re not losing weight, getting in the workouts, or feeling better about themselves. 

The thing is, we’re blaming the wrong people.

We’re letting circumstances dictate our actions, thus diminishing our power.

Now I know scheduling your life amid your children’s super hectic lives is no easy feat, but that doesn’t mean you have to pack up your goals and place them high on the closet shelf.

It doesn’t mean we have to give up the chase. Why do we look at it as an “all or nothing” scenario?

What we need to realize is that over time, a little can go a long way. A long way.

Accept Discomfort and Move Forward Anyway

To get to the next level of anything, we must be willing to do the unthinkable – we must be willing to get uncomfortable. 

We also have to battle the “resistance” that stands in our way. The resistance is the excuses that come easily to mind whenever the time comes to sit down and do the things that will help us get closer to achieving our goals. 

I run monthly fitness challenges, and each month the same things happen. I get a bunch of people to sign-up, and only a handful make it to the finish line. And it’s not that they don’t like the challenges, or that they don’t have 8 minutes a day to devote to exercising. It’s that it requires them to get to the edge of their comfort zone  —  or emerge entirely from it —  to get it done, and that’s where it ends for them.

If we would only be willing to get uncomfortable, even for a few minutes a day, the amount of change we could create is enormous. 

A great way to ground yourself and to become more accountable for your actions is to ask yourself this one question often: “What would happen if I did the things that made me uncomfortable every day?”

You’ll be amazed at how much you really can accomplish with a little consistent and uncomfortable action!