“You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, ‘I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.’ You must do the thing you think you cannot do.”
Eleanor Roosevelt
So what scares you?
Now I think we all understand that Eleanor Roosevelt was not talking about watching either the latest horror/slasher film on Netflix, or to impulsively participate in the running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain…
Eleanor Roosevelt was talking about stepping outside of your proverbial comfort zone.
That cozy little routine most of us live our daily lives in to keep stress and risk at an absolute minimum. The trouble is, sometimes the things that would make us happiest in life are often also the scariest things to go after.
We all have things we’re afraid of. It could be a fear of starting a new job, going back to school, moving to a new city, ending a bad marriage or relationship, or starting a new one – the truth is, most individuals share a natural reluctance to experiment. A study by Duke University determined that 47% of our daily actions are habitual, which is a shame considering that many times the risk of trying something new is relatively small, and the rewards of which can be enormous. No matter how scared you are about making a leap, the trick is to not let your fear hold you back from doing something that could ultimately make your life better.
3 Reasons To Do Something That Scares You
1.) It Opens You Up To New Opportunities
If you only ever stay with what’s familiar and comfortable you wind up closing yourself off in a little tiny bubble that keeps you from accomplishing what matters most to you. When you embrace the unknown and take that step forward, you open yourself up to new opportunities for happiness and fulfillment. After all, the best way to avoid regretting the things you didn’t do is to actually do them.
2.) It Helps You Become Fearless
When you think about it, what is it that you are truly afraid of? That you’ll fail on some level? That you’ll look foolish or be rejected? Instead of letting fear cripple you, make up your mind to try that new thing: apply for another job, start your own business, ask someone out, do stand-up at an open mic night. Take a chance, because sometimes the best moments in life come from doing the things that scare us the most. Now although you might stumble and fall, don’t you think that your dreams and ambitions are worth trying for?
3.) It Helps You Grow
Chasing your dreams can be scary, but making mistakes is really a matter of perspective isn’t it? The fact is, many great successes start with failure. Steve Jobs, Walt Disney, Jeff Bezos – the list is truly endless. The only people who never fail are the ones who never try. Sticking to the safe and familiar only ensures you’ll continue to see the same results in your life. When you finally decide to step out of your comfort zone and face your fears, you’ll get to places you’ve never been before. You’ll feel more confident, comfortable, and self-assured.
Coach Kory’s Latest Attempt At Doing Something Scary…
The Granite Games is a celebration of fitness that brings together people whom share a common love for the sport and community. Many of you may believe that my participation in the Granite Games this past weekend was something that was easy for me to do. However, the idea of stepping out on to the competition floor and testing my fitness against other incredible athletes was hardly an easy decision.
Am I fit enough? Will I make a fool of myself? What happens if I fail?
These types of questions flooded my brain for not only the several weeks leading up to the competition, but throughout the entire weekend! However, due to the 3 reasons listed above, I was able to have an incredible experience over the course of the Granite Games competition. My main takeaways from the weekend are listed below:
Personal Growth
Racing at a maximum heart rate and copious amounts of adrenaline rushing through your veins has a unique way to teach you lessons as to who you are as a person. The conversations I held with myself in my head in the warm up area getting ready for an event, how I felt/handled being no-repped, or when I looked across the lane at an athlete who I may have felt was superior to me all were terrifying prospects in my mind. However, each event I took part in helped me better understand how to handle that pressure and fear.
A New Challenge To Uncover My Weaknesses
Remember that proverbial comfort zone we all like to stay within? Oftentimes we do that in our training as well. Skipping on “Cardio Day” because there are no movements we enjoy or are good at. Competitions such as Granite Games are infamous for throwing athletes new movements, odd equipment, or formulating workouts that will test athletes abilities that traditional benchmark WOD’s or programming may not do.
Memories That Will Last A Lifetime
Combining the contagious energy of the crowd cheering, the wide array of new experiences, and the “fight-or-flight” hormonal response that is triggered during a competition is a formula that will undoubtedly create lasting memories that will be embedded in my brain for a lifetime.
Self Accomplishment
There are not many things in life as satisfying as seeing your own hard work pay off. From getting a top spot on the leaderboard, to setting a PR, or learning how to handle your emotions and use them to your advantage, every event became on opportunity to show myself, and others, how hard I’ve been working.
Fed My Inner Competitor
I have an innate desire to “fight for first”. Yes, of course, it’s important to set out to simply do the best that YOU can do, but ultimately it’s that podium I am aiming for. I love the chase, are motivated and pushed by wanting to stay in front of the pack, and I found that the Granite Games competition floor is a place I will be eager to return to.