Challenge yourself
One of the keys to success is having the persistence to work through problems and the ability to face them head on. A lot of times you will find yourself in a situation where you have no experience and you just have to figure something out. Some people will give up, others will buckle down. It doesn’t matter if you are at work or in your day to day, the better you are at doing this, the more you’ll be able to accomplish.
Like everyone else, my life is filled with curveballs. To be honest, my initial reaction is typically panic. I look at a large task or something I’m not familiar with and get overwhelmed. Humans are wired to push back against difficult things. The reality is that almost 99% of the time getting started and gaining confidence is the hardest part of the task. Once you get in and get going you will be surprised at what you can figure out.?
Knowing that, how can you get better at doing hard things? It’s pretty simple actually. You challenge yourself. In my case, I started skateboarding at age 11. Imagine trying to land a trick, getting broken off physically and getting back up and trying it again thousands of times a day. I didn’t realize it when I started, but I definitely do now, it’s all mental training.
I don’t expect people to go jump on useless wooden toys tomorrow. It doesn’t have to be physical and it can be approachable to anyone. The trick is to find small tasks that challenge yourself daily.?
Here’s a few examples:
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If you are constantly putting yourself into areas that you aren’t comfortable in and getting through them, it will give you confidence that you can accomplish things. It doesn’t have to be anything insane. It is just creating constant challenge and success models that you can work through that will invisibly build you up. The more you can mentally get in the mindset that you can get through things, aren’t scared of challenges, and have the experience of taking things on the more prepared and capable you will be.
If you do this, I promise you. It will feel good. You will progress. It is somewhat addicting because the other thing humans are wired for is progression. Get out there and go get it, the future you will thank you for it.
If you find yourself going from never running to running a marathon and a half in less than 3 months like I did, then and only then you might need to start questioning yourself. Just remember I’m crazy, don’t be me, be you and be the best you can be.
Cheers!
PS. I’d love to hear ideas of other small challenge hacks.
Warehouse Manager at DMA Industries
10 个月Knowing I have inspired you feels pretty good. Keep it going Kenny!
Experienced & Proven Leader - Program Management | Business Operations | People Connector
10 个月I trust all is well. Great article! I agree & like an incredible executive —dap said many moons ago and so true “get comfortable with being uncomfortable, change is constant & fear not”. Doing something different and evolving while enjoying the journey take little steps towards big pic equals big results whether with marathons/triathlons, workplace & across the board. Thank you for the great read.
Communications, Brand affinity, employee engagement, channel development
10 个月I appreciate the friendly reminder. Thanks for sharing, Kenny.
One of my favorite quotes on this subject comes from an unexpected source, David Bowie: “If you feel safe in the area you’re working in, you’re not working in the right area. Always go a little further into the water than you feel you’re capable of being in. Go a little bit out of your depth. And when you don’t feel that your feet are quite touching the bottom, you’re just about in the right place to do something exciting.”
You’re not fooling anyone, I saw you hide your cape! Great article Kenny! And great advice!