Sprinkle Your Life With Discomfort

I wrote the post below a little while back and stashed it in my archives, so I’m pulling it out for a nice dose of Monday motivation! This was one of those times when I needed to write out my thoughts precisely in the moment I was experiencing them, so I did just that…

Currently feeling the need to pour my thoughts out on this keyboard. Well I guess that’s not all that unusual, but nonetheless, here we are. 

I just did the occasional Facebook check-in and one of the first things that appeared in my feed was a Rest In Peace post for a young gentleman I went to school with, who passed away this weekend. His life was taken from him before he could live even a third of the average life span. Absolutely tragic. Incredibly thought provoking. Prayer inducing. 

As I spill these words out of my mind, I can’t help to think about how unsure our futures are. None of us truly know if we will get in an accident tomorrow, lose a loved one or experience a completely life-altering event. Yet so many of us live in fear of truly living life to the fullest. We live in fear of jumping into the career that fuels our soul, falling deeply in love, exploring a new hobby or moving to a new city. We somehow come to the conclusion that being comfortable is a far better option than truly living. After all, outside of our comfort zone is where we grow the most, right? Spending your entire existence outside of your comfort zone sounds physically and mentally draining, but sprinkling your life with discomfort builds character and allows you to experience all that life has to offer. 

So I pose the question to you… where do you need to step out of your comfort zone? 

Maybe you have thought about training for a half marathon for the past 2 years, but haven’t mustered up the gumption to do it. Maybe you are stuck in unhealthy eating patterns and as frustrated as you are with your health, these patterns feel comfortable. Or maybe on the flip side you eat so darn clean that you cannot fathom eating a piece of cake. Possibly you are sticking in your comfort zone and it is negatively impacting your mental health.

Here’s the great news… we all have opportunities to step outside our comfort zone on a daily basis, so we can start as soon as today! 

Let’s stop living life to be comfortable and pursue the things that matter most to us. After all, who knows what tomorrow brings. 

…I wanted to follow up those thoughts from awhile back with a fresh addition, so I pose the question to you, “How can you sprinkle your workout routine with a little more discomfort?” I don’t mean the “my back hurts but I’m going to deadlift anyway” kind of discomfort, but rather the “I’ve never tried that” kind of discomfort. When we step into a space of unknown with our workouts, we gain the confidence to bring that same energy into other areas of our life. 

Many of us have certain tendencies in our workout regimen, and ultimately to improve in any craft you need to devote focused energy and time, but what if you took just one day a week, or a couple days a month, to try something new? It could be as simple as exchanging your morning run for a morning weight training session or yoga class. Maybe you do nothing but hit the weights and your cardiovascular system wants some love and attention. Or you could be one of those individuals who always aims to have a perfectly balanced routine and needs to lose some of the structure, needs to go rock climbing for a workout or take a dance class.  

You know your patterns best, so step back and think about something active that you want to try in the next two weeks that isn’t comfortable for you. Just watch… sprinkling discomfort into your workouts could spill a new-found confidence into all areas of your life!