Today’s blog post is an excerpt from my book, Failure is not Final
I’ve also done a YouTube video on much of this content in the past. To view that, click the button below.
“Too many times, people have a desire for their life to be different, yet they don’t want to change anything about their current habits. Some people have the tendency to view the changes they have to make to achieve their health or wellness goals as having an endpoint. There really is no endpoint in most cases, however, we can view the different periods in our life as “chapters.”
It is important to recognize that each new chapter of our lives will require a different version of ourselves. What helped us be successful or live through Chapter 1 may not be what helps us be successful through Chapter 2 and onward. In essence, I am encouraging you to recognize that you will have to change in some way.
As I write that, I also recognize that change is hard…for everyone, myself included. Sometimes though, staying the same can be worse. One tactic that is useful in helping to determine whether change is necessary or not is to ask ourselves “how is that working out for me?” This is a real challenge as it will require incredible honesty to answer that question truthfully. Not to mention, it also takes vulnerability to objectively evaluate ourselves and admit that perhaps there is something about us that might require change.
This leads me to encourage the reader to consider the notions of comfort and discomfort. For example, coming from a history of at one time being very overweight, I had to ask myself, “how is this working out for me?” I was making a lot of unhealthy food choices and was making minimal effort to exercise. I could tell myself that I was “comfortable,” but was I really? Yes, eating that snack food mindlessly on the couch might have seemed “comfortable,” but it was way more uncomfortable to not feel and move well in my everyday life or to not have the energy to do various things I wanted to for fun, or to have to worry about poor health outcomes were I to continue down that path. I mentioned previously how I felt uncomfortable at amusement parks when I didn’t quite fit on rides comfortably with my daughter and how I felt uncomfortable having my picture taken. In essence, the habits and choices that I thought were making me “comfortable” (i.e. eating whatever I wanted, not exercising) were really adding to a greater sense of feeling uncomfortable.
Making the decision to change and pursue something different required me to embrace discomfort. The decision to eat healthier when it is far more convenient to not eat healthy was uncomfortable. Choosing to exercise regularly when it would be far more comfortable to just go home and sit on the couch, was uncomfortable. Showing up at a gym repeatedly where I saw people working out who were way fitter than me, was uncomfortable. Making the decision to eat healthier when my family was not 100% in alignment with what I wanted for myself was also uncomfortable. I had to accept those discomforts to achieve a new comfort in my life. With any change, what you find to be uncomfortable at first won’t always stay that way. Over time you will adjust to the new change and become comfortable with it. Now, I can comfortably enjoy a vibrant and more fulfilling life because of the decision to change some of my habits to support a different version of myself. Had I not willingly put myself in uncomfortable circumstances (and I provide a lot of examples of that in this book), I don’t know that I would have led the same fulfilling life I am having today and be blessed with so many wonderful life experiences. It all began with a desire to want something different for myself and being willing to allow one chapter to end so that I could start a new one.”
What area of your life are you challenged with changing? What “comfort” are you accepting because of a “discomfort” you are hesitant about?
Going to the gym when you are unsure of what to do can be quite uncomfortable. Thankfully, our gym specializes in helping “newbies” to the gym feel comfortable! It all starts by clicking the button below to schedule your free consultation!
Looking for some fitness and life inspiration, you can order Candice’s book, Failure is not Final by clicking the button below!
Bring your copy to the gym and Candice will be happy to sign it for you!