Go Beyond

A lot of my recent posts have been inspired by my gym experience and this week is no different.

I see learning opportunities everyday that I go into my local gym just by keeping my eyes, mind and heart open to people and my surroundings.

One week, I had a couple of personal training sessions both of which I dreaded. At the first session, my trainer focused on strength training using weights.

For one exercise, she handed me the bar bell and told me to try it out. I thought it was heavy but gave it my best shot. After the second set, I asked her what the weight was and she said 17kg and I gasped. I told her I couldn’t lift that and she responded that I had just done two sets with one set to go.

I gritted my teeth and went for the last set.

I got through the rest of the hour and for each exercise, she pushed me more than I thought possible. I was in a lot of pain for the next few days and still had to go back for the second session three days later.

The temptation to cancel the next session was strong as I thought I couldn’t get through another session. My self-talk was focused on the pain and not the result.

I showed up to follow through on my commitment. I warned her that I couldn’t do much. She put me through my paces doing high intensity cardio training. Yet again, I survived.

Here’s what I learnt from this experience

We can do more than we thought possible

We are significantly more able and powerful than we think. We can do more than we realise because we are fearfully and wonderfully made intricate beings.

We all admire computers and smart phones but they don’t compare to the power of our brains, minds and tongues.

Henry Ford famously said, ‘whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you are right.

I thought I couldn’t get through the sessions and I could have given up at any time proving myself right. But once I was determined to grit my teeth and do it, I was also right.

Two opposing beliefs, two opposing actions and you would still be right, so the only decision is to think you can and be ‘right’ in the right way.

Show up and follow through on your commitments

I was committed to the two training sessions and just by choosing to follow through, I showed up. Sometimes all we can and need to do is show up.

Everything else will line up. Once I showed up, a strength and determination that I was previously unaware of showed up.

The support and encouragement from my trainer was available.

We need to show up before the resources we need show up. When the idea to write my first book, ‘Flying High in a Polka Dot Dress’ first came to me, I had no clue how to publish a book.

I remember thinking, ‘who will publish this book?’ And I heard that still small voice inside of me saying, ‘just do your part and write the book.’ I did just that and just a few days after the manuscript was finished, I ran into the lady who published the book.

Surround yourself with people who will push you

We all need a support team around us but who they are can be the difference between success or failure and truth or delusion.

We can surround ourselves with people who never push or challenge us and those who simply tell us what we want to hear.

We can share our stories until we find someone who agrees with ‘our’ version or we can find people who will force us to realise where we need to make changes.

There are many accomplishments that I have today simply because some people believed in me and pushed me when I didn’t think I was able or ready.

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