When was the last time you gave 100% at something? Left everything on the table and felt completely spent at the end?

I’d be willing to bet that you don’t do it as often as you should. I’d wager to bet that most of us only give a maximum of about 80% effort regularly, never even tapping into what we’re truly capable of. You know why? Because it’s hard.

It’s so freaking hard to give your all. It hurts, and it’s super uncomfortable, physically, mentally, and emotionally. It’s leaps and bounds outside of your comfort zone. It makes you feel tired and vulnerable.

But we need to do it.

How to Fix It

Nothing and no one grows in the comfort zone. How can you grow if you stay where you always are? If you do the same things over and over and never making anything harder? You won’t. You’ll stay the same. If we have all of these goals: weight loss, muscle growth, competitions, races, being better humans—we have to push ourselves to do harder things to get better. If we want to be better at something, we have to first be bad at it. We have to be scared and vulnerable before we can be strong and confident.

I ran my first half marathon last week (read about it a post coming soon!), and let me tell you, I was not good at it. I hit a massive wall about mile 8.5 and had to dig deep into my mind to continue running the last 4.5 miles. Never before that day had I run that far before. I didn’t know what it would feel like, but I know the only way to become a better runner is to continue pushing.

If you want to be better at speaking in front of people, you have to get comfortable being uncomfortable. Continually stepping in front of people to speak, even a little at a time. That’s going to be so scary! But every time you do it, you’ll learn something, and it’ll get a little bit easier.

If you want to lose weight, and you’re currently comfy on your couch, perusing the web and reading this article—get up. Choosing to walk around outside instead of sitting on the couch is hard. Choosing a grilled chicken breast instead of fried chicken and waffles is hard. Deciding to go to the gym is hard. But guess what?? Every time you do it, it gets easier.

These uncomfortably hard decisions stack up in your brain—little wins. Little bits of confidence in yourself and your abilities. Learning to trust yourself and your body. Learning that you are capable of doing hard things. Over and over again.

The Simple Trick to Push Yourself

Get comfortable being uncomfortable. Please. Do something hard or scary. Be better. You’ll thank yourself.

What is one way you can step out of your comfort zone this week? Either in the gym or in life. If I can help you with that, let me know. I’m happy to push you.

– Coach B