Last week I posted about fear and adventure and comfort zones in the Gram…..and it’s been floating around in m mind since.

Reflecting on my recent sprint triathlon and the fear and anxiety I had leading up to it. Most recently the Facebook live that I completed that was an entire 16minturs, and had me loosening more sleep than the triathlon….and for what??? I lived through both with my dignity in tact.

Both events turned out to be so anti climatic  that I’ve been left to reflect on the hours I spent hiding in my comfort  zone making excuses.  Here are 4 things I have come to understand about making excuses to stay in the familiarity of the comfort zone.

“I Cant Do it ”

Let’s start with the most obvious one. More often than not,  we hold ourselves back from something new and scary because  we are convinced  we will  fail at it—I envisioned myself flying off my road bike, or blanking on my first Facebook live.

But, how do you know you won’t be good at something before you even tried?

Spoiler alert: There really is no way to know. And, if you convince yourself that you’ll fail at something from the start, all you’re doing is jumping to conclusions with a bunch of unproductive, self-deprecating thoughts.

When I look deep inside myself it wasn’t  that I thought I couldn’t do it, I actually was confident I could.  Yes, I was I scared I might get hurt, but the bigger issue holding me back was the fear of embarrassment.

“I Don’t Have Time”

Time can be limited and our days can get ridiculously busy. And, leaning on your hectic schedule as a reason for why you can’t take on anything new is easy to do.

Believe me, I tried the very same tactic for a few years before committing to my sprint triathlon.  But, here’s the thing: Deep down, I knew that I could definitely find the time—or, more appropriately, make the time—to squeeze in a couple more weekly workouts and training rides. It was just a matter of wanting to do it.

As with anything, you’ll make the time for things that matter to you. Yes, that might mean some schedule juggling or a slightly earlier wake up call. But, if there’s something new or challenging you’d like to try, a packed agenda shouldn’t be the thing that prevents you from going for it.

“It’s Too Much Work”

Tying into the above point about a lack of time, it’s also tempting to tell yourself that tackling a new challenge will simply involve too much work. You already end each day feeling completely exhausted. So, why stretch yourself even more by signing up for that run, or registering for that photography course you have always wanted to take??

I get it—trying something new definitely takes a serious investment in both time and energy. But, don’t all great things? Isn’t there some old saying about how anything worth having is worth working hard for?

Putting yourself out there and trying something new will likely involve some elbow grease on your end. But, think about this: Do you really want laziness to be what prevents you from discovering something new and potentially awesome? My guess is probably not.

“I Don’t Fit the Mold”

This is perhaps the biggest excuse that echoed around in my brain leading up to the sprint triathlon. “You don’t  know what your doing.  “Who do you think you are?” said that pesky, negative voice in the back of my head.

You’ve probably been here too. We all develop these ideas of what something or someone should look like. And, if we don’t seamlessly fit that mold, we use that as justification for walking away.

However, here’s the important thing  we all need to remember: There is no mold—at least not if you refuse to perpetuate one.  Don’t believe me??  Then I suggest you get out and watch a half marathon or marathon. Because there is all shapes, sizes, ages, and fitness levels out there running.  The mold is just amazing people doing amazing things.

Turns out Comfort zones aren’t so comfortable….

For the first part of 2019 I have pushed myself past boundaries and comfort zones I never thought I would leave. Only to discover that there was nothing to be afraid of and I just needed to get out of my own way.

Just because my natural inclination is to hold myself back doesn’t mean I always have to do so. And, guess what? Neither do you!