How Do You Challenge Yourself?

What is the greatest physical challenge you have willingly taken on to date and accomplished?

How about mentally, what’s challenged you most to date?

Is what challenged you most physically also what challenged you most mentally?

You ever wonder that?

I’ve been giving this lots of thought lately.

Big Challenges

My most physical and mental challenges to date are two different experiences. 

My toughest mental challenge to date has been my ultra marathon (running 50 miles).

My toughest physical challenge to date has been training for a men’s physique competition.

The mental challenge lasted 10 hours.

The physical challenge lasted 12 weeks.

Yet one no easier than the other.

Would You Do It Again?

I then asked myself, if I knew then what I know now about how difficult these two challenges would be, how much they’d push me and test my limits, would I still have taken them on?

And the answer was, yes… I absolutely would.

How about you, would you take these challenges on again?

Looking back and knowing what you know now about what it takes to complete each of those challenges, would you do it again?

Why or why not?

Running 50 miles scared me big-time (as did the free roaming buffalo I saw while running).

At mile 37, I mentally couldn’t fathom how I would be able to complete 13 more miles.

The intensity at which I trained for the men’s physique competition is like nothing I had ever done before.

6 weeks into it, my body was worked, fatigued, and just overall exhausted.

I couldn’t possibly see how I would be able to manage another 6 weeks at that intensity.

So Why Do It All Again?

Am I just crazy?

Possibly, but there’s more to it than that.

I have a strange suspicion you would take on your toughest challenges again as well.

Why?

Because it’s in overcoming our greatest feats that we score our biggest wins.

Physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Consider This

Can you think of anything you’ve done, completed, or taken on that’s required little to no work and effort from you that you’re super proud of?

I can’t either.

Why?

Because confidence, stamina, self-esteem, motivation, enthusiasm, faith, and belief in ourselves is what we’re rewarded with when we take on these challenges.

That’s why we remember them.

Because of who we’ve become from conquering these challenges.

That’s the biggest reward of all when we take on these challenges and complete them.

Question For You?

Are there any physical or mental challenges you’ve thought about taken on for a while now but haven’t yet?

Losing weight?

Working out regularly?

Drinking more water?

Cooking healthier foods for yourself?

Running a half or full marathon?

Climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro?

Learning to surf?

Being able to do one full pull up?

Identify what that is and go after it.

Go after it with a sense of urgency.

And the more it scares you the better.

The more it challenges you the better.

The more it pushes you the better.

But Why?

Because the confidence, stamina, self-esteem, motivation, enthusiasm, faith, and belief in yourself you’ll develop as a result, will trickle across all areas of your life.

Losing weight is great.

Getting fit and toned is great.

Running 50 miles is great.

Developing six pack abs is great.

Completing a triathlon is great.

These are all great.

They’re also just metaphors.

Since what we’re really after is feeling, being, and living our absolute best.

How Do We Get There?

That’s entirely up to you.

Here’s a little secret though… it doesn’t matter what you pick.

What matters is that you pick something, anything, and give it your absolute all.

What will that next challenge be for you?

Whatever it is, let is scare you, let it push you, let it make you think you’re crazy for trying.

Find it, commit to it, and complete it.

Not because it’ll be easy, it won’t.

But because of how awesome you’ll feel when you do and the person you’ll become because of it.

“The harder the battle, the sweeter the victory.”

You’re awesome…

Cheers!

Mike

MORE MOTIVATION, INSPIRATION, & PRACTICAL ADVICE

Sign up Below For My Free Weekly Newsletter