I was astounded by the results.
Surprised by the lasting effects.
Needless to say, I became hooked.
A simple program of 100 workouts completed and I was all in – not only on daily exercise but finding ways to push beyond what I thought was possible. That very first challenge back in 2017 jump started the creation of a whole new me that I am immensely proud of and consistently working to improve.
I LOVE me a good personal challenge. My whole personal development journey began with that fitness challenge years ago, and I have found immense power in continually seeking out and engaging in challenges to keep myself progressing and thriving – mentally and physically. So let’s discuss the importance of engaging in a personal challenge and why it can be an effective tool to use to jump-start your own evolution.
A challenge is a clearly-defined container within which you operate each day- target behaviors are direct and specific; the steps are laid out, and you know exactly what needs to be done to succeed. Often challenges are broken down into measurable, daily bits so you’re focusing on what’s directly in front of you. Many times they are done in groups for accountability purposes, as having a like-minded team to rely on for support and celebration can solidify your commitment and increase your drive to stay on track.
Here are 6 guaranteed outcomes you’ll experience in some capacity if you complete a personal challenge of your own:
BUILD SELF-TRUST
Self-trust is personal assurance that you can rely on yourself to follow through with what you said you would do. It is very common for women to prioritize being trusted by others and remaining trustworthy in relationships, rather than placing importance on forming trust with themselves in an alliance of mind, body and soul. We MUST change this trust priority, ladies! When you trust yourself you build self-esteem, confidence, and hold yourself accountable. You take greater control over your life because you’re following your own plans and honoring your inner guide. Committing to a challenge generates ongoing opportunities to exercise self-trust via consistent follow-through. Self-trust lays a solid foundation for further growth, because when you do what you decide to do, you’ll generate positive results and successfully meet your goals.
IGNITE MOTIVATION
Motivation is tricky because many people think they need to have it FIRST in order to generate action. But through taking action we derive motivation, which snowballs into momentum to keep us going. Through consistent action you WILL generate this fuel to drive you forward. It may take awhile to build up momentum- that’s OK (and normal!), but look forward to it because once it comes you’ll feel amazing. If you find yourself in the midst of a shitstorm struggling with low motivation, keep telling yourself – “It’s coming. Just one more day.”
ACCELERATE GROWTH
Whether it’s fitness, diet, mental toughness, parenting, business or other, you are GOING TO GROW if you stick to a plan and execute every day. Growth is imperative to enjoying a sense of fulfillment as humans and you can derive so much happiness from expanding your experiences and pushing outside that comfort zone. “If you’re not growing, you’re dying” (~William Burroughs) – probably best to choose the former, yeah?
PUSH YOUR LIMITS + EXPAND YOUR VIEW OF WHAT’S POSSIBLE
You will unlock your endless potential and realize that you’re capable of more as you achieve. Whatever current vision you have for the boundaries of your capability – those will expand. And, you’ll see that you are truly capable of more than you’ve ever allowed yourself to believe. This is the growth mindset at work – all things are possible with belief and action, but usually we can’t envision that full potential until we’re living out new situations we once thought were outside our scope.
OBSTACLES
Yes- obstacles are a benefit, although I’m willing to bet they’re probably our least favorite one. They’re unexpected and annoying, and throw us off and slow us down. But, we realistically understand that they’re bound to pop up and we’ll need to pivot and proceed with some flexibility. This is LIFE! These roadblocks provide us with even MORE opportunities for growth and help us cultivate resilience. You will learn valuable lessons by working through these obstacles. Most importantly, you will show yourself you CAN handle them, and trust that you have what it takes to persevere through most anything.
BUILD CONFIDENCE
This is another one of those qualities we think we must possess to get started – but like motivation, confidence grows with discipline and action. You’ll learn to trust yourself to stick to the promises you made, and consistently exercise your fortitude on hard days building confidence as a result. Confidence increases with achievement – progress feeds us personal power and reinforces that we’re solely in control of driving our lives. Confidence is another muscle that takes shape as you develop and expands the more you exercise it.
So – now that you have this broad understanding of the benefits of challenging yourself, are you brainstorming next steps? Perhaps you’re currently in a challenge and are feeling even better about what you’re putting yourself through. Maybe you want to design a challenge or find a new program to commit to and see where you can take yourself. It will only bring good things, I promise!
Accountability can be super important for a lot of people (it is for me too!) which is why it can be powerful to lead a team or do these challenges in groups. Committing to a program in front of others also adds pressure to adhere and succeed (I mean, we aren’t aiming to people-please here, but that social aspect can really help you add some beef in the game!)
RECIPE FOR A SUCCESSFUL CHALLENGE
Clearly defined plan
Way to track progress
Stretches you in some way
Will yield positive results
Feels exciting to achieve
You know exactly how it’ll benefit you
You have a solid reason WHY you’d take it on
You can envision yourself succeeding
Will put you slightly outside your comfort zone
You know it’ll help you grow/improve in some way
Should sound hard and scare you a little, but feel doable with effort.
I truly believe that taking on challenges becomes an attractive feat in adulthood and mid-life. So often we are stretched thin serving others before ourselves. Choosing a personal regimen of growth-tactics to follow daily forces us to prioritize ourselves in a meaningful way long term – creating positive habits and establishing an upgraded baseline for how we want to live next. I encourage you to consider how choosing some new habits to embrace (for as little as 30 days!) could level up LITERALLY the rest of your life!
It did mine!
Ready to start making progress?
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