If you’re not seeing the changes you want – a frustration so many people are experiencing today – it means you’re staying completely inside that circle of we like to call the comfort zone. In order to make a positive change in your life, you have to expand your boundaries by climbing outside your comfort zone.
If that’s all there is to it – if a little step outside your comfort zone is all it takes to grow and improve – then why don’t more people do it? What makes that little step so difficult?
You see, the second you leave your comfort zone, you experience pain, discomfort and awkwardness. Since all positive changes take place outside the comfort zone, change is painful. The very moment most people feel the pain, they pull back inside the comfort zone. This is the reason why most people fail to improve themselves or create lasting changes in their lives: They are unwilling to put up with the pain of change.
The pain we’re talking about may be: (1) the physical pain of muscles aching and lungs burning, (2) it may be the emotional “pain” of feeling awkward and clumsy at doing something new or (3) it may be the “pain” of discipline and sacrifice. (For example, saying no to dessert, getting up at 5:00 a.m. for exercise, or going into a gym for the first time to take a class you are unsure of). Most likely, it’s all three types of pain.
The highest achievers are those who consistently push themselves out of their comfort zones. Instead of withdrawing to their comfort zones when they don’t get immediate results, they force themselves to stay at this awkward, uncomfortable and painful (but higher and better) level of performance until the pain finally subsides and they become comfortable at the new higher level.
Champions realize that pain equals growth and the benefits far outweigh the discomfort. Now you know why I LIKE it when we are doing something painful and uncomfortable like a power move because I know that we are pushing ourselves out of our comfort zone and into results!
Cyclist Lance Armstrong put it this way: “Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit however, it lasts forever.”
Muhammad Ali said it like this: “I hated every minute of the training. But I said to myself, bear the pain NOW and live the rest of your life as a champion.”
Ironically, when someone says, “I’m happy just staying right where I am,” he or she is demonstrating their lack of knowledge of the basic law of nature. It’s the natural law that all things in the universe are either growing or decaying. There is no standing still. “Comfortably maintaining” is an illusion. Truth is, you must grow. You must push yourself beyond what you’ve done in the past if you want to avoid falling behind.
Soon the pain subsides, you enjoy the benefits of the change, and the pain is forgotten. If is funny because once you have embraced the pain, you almost look forward to it. You want to be sore and know you have done a good job. My students love to tell me they are sore and sometimes desire to work harder to get sore! You’ve reached a new, and higher plateau of achievement. Be on guard, though, for it’s not long before that higher level becomes your new comfort zone, and then it’s time to press on again.
Ultimately, you can’t avoid experiencing pain of one kind or another. Think about yourself in the future, looking back on your life and thinking about what you have achieved and what you didn’t even attempt. As you visualize this scene, remember the words of Jim Rohn: “We must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The difference is discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons.”
Krista Johnson is the owner of Fit By Faith Fitness Center which was established in October of 2006.
She is the mother of 4 children ages 18, 13, 10 and 6 and has a passion for helping others get in shape from the inside out. Krista is a walking testimony having lost over 100lbs and has successfully kept it off .
During her weight loss, she had a vision of creating Fit By Faith.
She believed she was to change the atmosphere of the gym and create a different environment for people to work out in. Krista is a former High School Theater Arts teacher and is currently attending college to obtain her B.A in Sports Medicine.
She holds certifications as Personal Trainer with the International Sports Science Association Tae Bo® fitness instructor (Certified by the creator Billy Blanks) Group Fitness Instructor for Adults, Children and Seniors SilverSneakers® Muscle Strength & Range of Motion for Seniors Black Belt 1st Dan in the art of Tae Bo Kwon.
She maintains her certifications annually through continuing education classes and training camps and requires all her instructors at Fit By Faith to do the same. She also competes in races and other competitions regularly.
Krista has appeared in 3 Tae Bo® infomercials on national TV Shape, Collage Video, Looking Good Now and Christian Living Magazines Several times in the Brownwood Bulletin Newspaper.
She has also been featured on several websites such as The Fitness Zone, The Biggest Loser, ivillage as well as the Billy Blanks Website. Krista has been a motivational speaker at many churches and radio stations.
Krista and her husband John, who is co-owner of Fit By Faith, both have hearts to help others to feel good, to be healthy and strive everyday to serve more people in this manner.
