We Only Have One Body
Did you know I used to be a teacher? I no longer teach in the classroom, but rather I’ve shifted my teaching focus to coaching and training women on best business practices, mindset, confidence, purpose and passion, and chasing dreams. I often find myself turning my own life experiences into lessons for my clients.
One thing I’m also very passionate about, aside from teaching ways to encourage and inspire women, is physical fitness; more specifically, resistance training. I’ve embraced the idea and the mindset that we only have ONE body in this world, and we have to make it last for a lifetime. We must take care of it and strengthen it, both mentally and physically, so that when we’re called to chase our purpose and passion, we feel good about ourselves!
Resistance training mostly targets our muscles. In addition to toning our muscles, it strengthens our bones and improves our cardiovascular system. But did you know there’s also a mental form of resistance training?
Overcoming Mental Resistance
When we take the physical aspect out of resistance training and focus on the mental side of it, it points us to the times in our lives where we’ve been called to do things out of the norm. It requires us to find the strength to step out of our self-imposed comfort zone. That, in essence, is the mental form of resistance training.
I’d like you to think about a time when you’ve set a HUGE goal in your head. When we do this, we tend to work hard to lead up to that goal, but when it’s time to do it, we sometimes experience resistance in our head. We decide to wait and see what happens instead of making that plan come to life. We know what we want, but it’s getting there that challenges us. Mental resistance training forces us to navigate and overcome the tension and resistance getting in our way in order to achieve that goal.
Strengthening My Own Mental Muscles
Several years ago, I reached a point in my life where I decided I was no longer going to settle for the norm. I was ready to leave my negative mindsets behind and start making my future happen. I was not going to let myself continue to feel guilty and complacent, and I was going to step out of my comfort zone and stop putting things off that I wanted to do.
I didn’t realize it at the time, but by doing this, I was working on my own mental resistance training. By changing my mindset, I was making the muscles in my head stronger so that I could step out of my comfort zone without fear or hesitation. As important as my time in the gym was, this new mindset and mental resistance training was equally, if not more, important to living a healthy lifestyle for me.
The fact of the matter is, nobody can stop you from living an extraordinary life except YOU. You’re the only one stopping yourself from creating that when you choose to give in to the resistance in your head. You must decide to overcome the resistance – not to be mediocre anymore and start doing things that are extraordinary!
The Path of Least Resistance
I have a quote from H.D. Wells written on my chalkboard in my office that truly speaks to this topic. “The path of least resistance is the path of a loser.” When I first heard it, I realized that was ME years ago when I insisted on staying within my comfort zone in all aspects of my life. I just wanted to color inside the lines because I knew that was where it was safe, and I was a total people pleaser.
It wasn’t until I made the decision to change my mindset and strengthen my mental muscles that I truly became happy. Muscles are built in the gym through resistance training, but deciding to make a change and improving your mindset and taking your life to the next level – that’s also resistance training, and THAT’S how character is built.
My challenge to you, next time you’re at a crossroads about something, is NOT to take the path of least resistance. That’s the losing path! Strengthen your mental muscles by taking the path that will make you step out of your comfort zone, and live to tell about it. And as always, I’m only a comment or email away for that extra nudge of support if you need it!
