There really is no better feeling than accomplishing something that you maybe didn’t think possible. We all have it, that feeling of self-doubt and that little voice in the back of our head that is constantly trying to tell us we can’t do something. Right now, that voice is telling me I will never be able to do a handstand. Every time I try and go upside down something inside me turns into a frightened little child and I go nowhere. I don’t even fall because I can’t even try. I’m too scared.
I see this all the time in my day, especially with my clients. I can’t tell you how many times someone will say to me, “Oh, I can’t do that”. Without even trying they tell themselves they can’t do it. My response to them is no you can, you just won’t.
There is a reason why that cliché term “You can do anything you put your mind to” is said so often. Because you can. You can do anything that you put your mind to – until that little voice of self-doubt becomes louder than your own confident voice and it starts telling you that you can’t. It tells you that you will never lose the weight you are trying to lose, or you will never run 10km or you will never do a full push-up from the toes. Why do we let that voice win? As a fitness coach my first step is to instill that confidence into my clients that they can. I teach them not to set boundaries and show them that with a little bit of dedication their goals can become a reality. I teach them that it is ok to try and fail because, as I’ve said time and time again, we learn from our failures. Life isn’t supposed to be easy.
My wish for you is to step outside your comfort zone and actually start working towards the goal you may have been too afraid to even say to yourself. Start now, make your game plan and then stick to it and do the work. No one is going to do it for you and there is no easy way to get there. You just need to start. Every single day I try and get up into a handstand and every single day I fail but I know that if I keep trying one day it will happen. I don’t let it frustrate me that it comes so easy to others and when others say to me “Oh just do it like this” or “I can’t believe you can’t do it, you’re so strong”, I just focus on my own work because I know that day I actually get up is going to make it all worth it.
So, what is it for you? Is it a handstand? Is it a boxing class you’ve always wanted to try? Is it committing to a healthy eating program, so you finally shed the extra weight you’re carrying around? Stop putting it off because you think you can’t. You only can’t because you won’t and once you try, you will realize it really isn’t that scary and you will have wished you tried before.
If there is anything that you’re too scared to try please email me at [email protected] and let me help you get there. We can all work together to break down the barriers we set for ourselves and get outside our comfort zones.