I’m a relatively new runner. If you’ve ever been in those particular athletic shoes, you know that there some pain involved in that process. I was running with Coach Dave, and we started talking about this very topic. He said I needed to learn the difference between pain and discomfort.
Right? That made a light bulb go off for me, in a much larger context than how many miles I was putting in. It made me think about all those times when you feel hurt, or had a niggling feeling that something wasn’t right. Those are the red flags used by our body and mind to capture our attention. We need to listen to those signals and determine if we are in pain… or just uncomfortable.
Coach Dave and I agreed that it’s about persisting through discomfort. Some of our biggest breakthroughs are achieved personally and professionally when we are willing to power through discomfort until we get to the results we’re eager to achieve. If you’re ready to get to the other side of discomfort and power up your productivity to achieve more greatness in the new year, let’s look at a few strategies to keep in mind.
- Know your why. A good WHY is a great motivator. Ask yourself, “Why am I doing this?” Why are you working longer hours? Spending more time on planes? Staying late? Getting up early? Putting systems in place? Fine-tuning that vision? Or running that extra mile? If you can articulate the bigger ‘why’ you are more likely to persist, stay focused on the reasons race full-speed ahead towards those important goals.
- Know your time table. No, not math. Your timeframe for accomplishment. Listen, if you don’t believe it already – let me be the first to share: you are better than you think. You are more capable than you believe. You have gifts and guts and talents that are unique and mighty to YOU. So, give yourself that. Then set a definitive timeframe to achieve your goal. You might surprise yourself at how much you will endure. Can you run an extra mile (or an extra 10 minutes)? Can you read a little longer to get educated (even though you are tired)? Can you make two more phone calls (even though it feels as if everyone is saying no to you today)? Set yourself a timeframe of how long you are willing to be uncomfortable and as my friend says, “Just keep going until you hit it, not quit it.”
- Know your rewards. They are different for everyone. Are you motivated by taking a break? Calling a friend? Getting new shoes (my Achilles, pun intended). Determine the reward that most motivates you to move through discomfort. Articulate that what hitting those goals will feel like on the other side. You will feel fitter. Your relationships will soar. Your business skyrocket. Your sales go through the roof. Marathon medals are within your grasp. Hold those visions in your mind when feeling uncomfortable and they’ll help you power through the tough stuff.
Now, go knock your goals out of the park. Set some that get you out of the comfort zones and into the s-t-r-e-t-c-h that will see your life, your business and your mind expand exponentially. Make a no-ruts policy for the next twelve months and power through. I’d love to hear from you. What can you do to persist through discomfort?
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