Comfort Lacks Confidence
How many times have you heard us say, “you can go heavier than that,” “is that too easy,” or c’mon, one more rep, you got this?” Too many times to count, right? We don’t just say these things to say them. We say them to challenge you. Because, hey, if it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you. We love to see change. And, the look on someone’s face is priceless, when they have been doing dumbbell presses with 20 pound weights, you hand them 30 pounds and they pump out 3-4 reps, or when they accomplish a goal on the goal board and better yet, get their name drawn from the achieved jar.
There are so many ways that you can challenge yourself in life and step out of your comfort zone to achieve goals and become a more confident person. This is exactly what I experienced and learned when I received my HKC (Hardstyle Kettlebell Certification) and went to the Perform Better Summit in July. There were situations where I wasn’t completely comfortable, but ended up succeeding because I went out of my comfort zone to challenge myself.
Let’s look back at, “if it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you. When the day came to come in for the HKC workshop, I was nervous as ever because I had no idea what to expect. I am the kind of person who likes to have things planned and I definitely do not like surprises. Let’s be honest here, I had an extra set of clothes packed, along with the ones set out on the bed the night before, and of course I couldn’t forget snacks. Was I prepared? Yes. Did I use any of the things that I brought besides a water bottle? Of course not!
Obviously there were going to be 23 trainers judging me for my goblet squat, Turkish get up, and kettlebells swings. And that was if I even got through the entrance test of holding a hardstyle plank for 60 seconds. Now, was any of this true? No. I held my 60-second plank and moved on. There were several times where I was not fully comfortable with the task that I was asked to perform. But, I always pushed through, which gave me the confidence to move to the next task. The whole day could not have gone better. Thanks to two great instructors working with everyone the entire day, I was able to learn so much more than I ever imagined and was able to earn my HKC. And, I walked out of Forward Fitness with more confidence than I thought was possible.
The Chicago Perform Better Summit was next up and I was totally pumped for it! I was so ready to fill my brain with new knowledge to bring back to Forward Fitness. On Saturday we attended a Todd Durkin session where there were 300 trainers in one room doing a conditioning workout. I’ve never seen so many people high fiving each other and cheering each other on, it was amazing! The workout was intense, but I knew I had to keep going. The push ups were getting tough, but I heard Suzanne’s voice over 300 people cheering me on to get one more in! That was it, I challenged myself to get one or two more in. I left that comfort zone and kept going. I walked out of that room of 300 people and had a complete boost of energy and felt like I could take on the world! I left Chicago with a positive mind, motivation, and confidence to help others.
People, take a step back and look at how you challenge yourself in life. Whether it be during your daily life or when you get your training in for the day at the gym, push yourself to the next level and see how much can change for you, mentally and physically. You will find yourself with more confidence than ever and hey, you are going to feel great too! So, next time you reach for the 20 pound dumbbell that you have been comfortably pressing, kick it up a notch and step out of your comfort zone, gain the confidence to help make the change, we’ve got your back!!