, Contributor
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Have you ever had that inner voice inside nudge you to do something you knew was going to be beneficial, but also difficult? One of those things that is tough enough for you to choose not to do it and stay in your comfort zone? We all have. There is an opportunity to go through that difficulty and get to the other side. We know that if we were to take said action we would benefit, but sometimes something holds us back. That something is going through the temporary pain, frustration and difficulty, even though we know there are greener pastures on the other side.
Here are a few things you can do to help yourself push through the pain, get to the other side, improve your well being and thrive! It’s time to get out of our little box and create a life far beyond our wildest imaginations. Without the extra push, we stay stuck and we settle for less than our potential.
Exercise is the perfect example of how we give ourselves healthy stress to get stronger. As you see, many of the people in the US and around the world don’t like to exercise even though all the science shows that you will feel better, live longer, and be happier. What do we need, to be hit in the head?
Changing your diet or cutting out a crutch is another tough thing to do, but you know that you’ll be better once you do it. Too much caffeine, too much sugar, too much food in general, all can be harmful, but some people don’t want to go through the pain and discomfort of giving it up to get to the amazing feeling of strength and vibrancy.
I recommend starting with small difficulties to get used to being in a tough situation, this is what yoga is all about. We create a safe environment to challenge ourselves, our mind body system learns how to deal with difficulty, and it becomes easier and easier over time.
Here are a few other things you can do to get the ball rolling:
Meditation
Sit for just a short time. Of course, you have to do something that’s challenging for you, so if you’re used to meditating, find something different. When I started my meditation practice, I couldn’t sit still for longer than a few minutes. After pushing through the tough times, I’m able to sit comfortably for 20-30 minutes and I love it. I feel the benefits all day long from a great meditation.
Crucial Conversations
I’m sure there is someone in your life who you’ve been avoiding or a conversation you’ve yet to have for one reason or another. Why are you waiting? This shows up in relationships a lot and sometimes people stay in relationships too long. I know I used to, but now, thanks to my wife and our communication, we make it a practice to deal with things as they come up. It’s definitely made our relationship better.
Travel to New Places
I love to travel and get excited about visiting new places, but I know that’s not the case for many people. If you’re one of those people, make it a point to get out of your comfort zone. Even if it’s a different section of your own city. Make a choice to do something out of the ordinary and you’ll always find that you’ve grown as a human being.
Be By Yourself
I know I’m guilty of checking my phone when Lauren goes to the bathroom while we’re at dinner, are you? Don’t lie. See if you can avoid that next time. Just sit, like we used to do, be uncomfortable in your skin and see what happens. I bet you won’t regret it.
There are a multitude of things we can do to push ourselves in a healthy way. The way muscles stay strong is through use of the muscle. You push it, it recovers, you push it a little more. The same is true for our psyche. There is a great cartoon that shows two booths, one booth has a sign that says ‘Uncomfortable Truths’ and the other booth says ‘Pleasant Lies.’ Guess which one has the huge line in front of it? That’s right, most people want to be told pleasant lies over uncomfortable truths. Don’t be one of the sheep in this world, take the road less traveled, you won’t regret it. I’m always here to help you along the way if you need some!
Ranchers Edge 