Do You Challenge Yourself?

“Opposition is a natural part of life. Just as we develop our physical muscles through overcoming opposition - such as lifting weights - we develop our character muscles by overcoming challenges and adversity.”

- Stephen R. Covey

Today I started back in my normal routine, and every Monday I start with a GoCycle session. It's a great start to the week, and it puts me in the right frame of mind - one of motivation and determination.

Upon leaving, Craig (my gym cycle instructor) asked where I'd been, to which I replied that I had been in Albury/Wodonga doing my AR training. One of the class members who was still there piped up, and asked what it was like, as it was something she had been thinking about doing, and wasn't too sure if she was too old now. I told her the cut-off age to join is 55, to which I think started the cogs turning in her head. She proceeded to ask me lots of questions about what it was like, and how hard it was physically, etc, as she was now 46.

Michelle (her real name) is a regular gym member and she attends alot of cycle classes as well as doing other cardio and numerous classes. She strikes me as someone who is not afraid to put in hard work and is always striving to get fitter.

Anyway...during our discussion we talked about 'challenging yourself', and how when you get into your 40's, that you either tend to have an aversion to challenges, or you embrace them. It was obvious that we three believed strongly in rising to the occasion and doing things to constantly challenge ourselves, both physically and mentally.

However, I was surprised to hear how some people that Craig talked to did not even understand why you would put yourself through the hard work and put yourself in a position to push yourself physically and mentally. For many, the thought is totally foreign to them, and a life devoid of challenge is much more appealing, because it equates to comfort.

I find that somewhat sad. The reason I find it sad, is because so many people are not living at all and live so far beneath their potential. I know it sounds strange, but I think if you can challenge yourself and know what it feels like to push yourself and be pushed to your limit, you find out what you are really made of, it can make you appreciate the life that you have. Challenges I believe, lead to doors of opportunites you would never have dreamt of. What you can achieve then becomes limitless.

When you get comfortable, you tend to get complacent about what you have. Not just in a material sense, but also in the sense of the skills and qualities that you already possess. Also, I know that in the midst of whatever it is that I am enduring, that if I can get through that challenge, that anything else is easy in comparison. I know I can endure most things.

That's what it was like when I went to Kapooka for my basic training. It was one of the most challenging things that I've ever done - both physically and mentally. And it wasn't necessarily because I wasn't physically strong, but I found it difficult because I'd built limitations within my thinking that held me back. I had put limits on what I thought I was capable of doing, but it came as a shock, because I hadn't realised it until then. Until I was put to the test, and put in a position of taking risks I didn't know how I lacked the courage to put myself on the line and have faith in my own abilities. I thought I was braver than that, but I was disappointed to find that I wasn't as brave as what I thought I was. I was too busy trying to survive and keep under the radar.

So for me, the challenge at first was about physically being able to do what was required. But as the weeks wore on, I realised that the physical was only the start. The real challenges were overcoming the mental limitations I had placed upon myself.

So that is why I continue to do AR. I've learned through putting myself out there and being willing to step outside my comfort zone that I am quite capable, and I've overcome some significant fears and limitations. But it's only through putting myself through that fear and feeling the stress of not being able to do things perfectly the first time that it's happened. It's happened over time. I've stuffed up alot and looked like an idiot, and no doubt I will continue to do that. But eventually, I'll get better and better and it's just a process of elimination. I already am getting better and better.

I no longer fear injuring myself because I set myself the challenge of working on my fitness by continually working day-in-day-out on my rehab exercises and progressive programs. I no longer fear being shouted out (in the AR). If that's the worst that can happen, it's not that bad in the big scheme of things. I no longer fear picking up my rifle and not knowing what I need to do, and doing it safely. I can now pick it up without fearing that I will do anything wrong, and I know how it works, how to fix it if it doesn't, how to strip it and put it back together, and do it all with alicrity. Twelve months ago, that wasn't how I felt. But it's only through showing up when I knew it was difficult for me, that I overcame the fear. It's through constant exposure and repetition, and making mistakes (safely with a rifle, of course). It's through feeling the fear and doing it anyway that I got to that level of confidence.

And when you're out there in the field - when you haven't showered for days - when you're lying on your belly in the dark, with your rifle, and it's cold and you're freezing; you're hungry; you've been pushed to your physical limits; you've had little sleep for days, and your only thought is about the next shot that's about to ring out and how to respond, life kind of gains alot of clarity for you.

As much as I hate that part of my AR training, and I'm asking myself while lying out in the cold "why the fu*k am I doing this?" - in spite of all that, the appreciation I gain of how good my life is and how damned lucky we are is my most significant epiphany. It's also knowing that if I can go through this shit and do something so uncomfortable, then I have it within me to endure most things. It's a test of my character and whether I have the determination and character to persevere, even when things aren't comfortable. I could easily pack it in, but then what would that say about me as a person? Do I give up when I sniff the first sign of adversity, or do I persevere?

And in persevering, I find eventually that what was hard becomes easier. In challenging myself, what I could not do before, no longer do I fear, and I can turn my focus to overcoming the next challenge. In the process I've acquired new skills. I've increased my confidence, and I've reinforced the fact that I can do whatever it is I set my mind too.

I still have things to overcome and many challenges ahead. There are many other people out there in the world doing extraordinary things and overcoming immense challenges. What constitutes a challenge to one person, may not necessarily be for another. It's all relative.

The important thing to remember is that for you, wherever you are right now...challenge yourself. Try something new. Even if it means it might be hard. Or that you might make mistakes. You might look stupid for a little while and you may feel fear. But I guarantee that if you can challenge yourself, that eventually you will become better and overcome that fear, and what you thought you could not do, you will be able to do. You may not even be able to do it magnificently, but over time you could if you really wanted to, if you persevered and focused on what it is that you truly want.