You like to overthink things, fearful things, hoping somewhere there’s a way out. When you’re looking down the double-barrel shotgun of fear, the worst thing you can do is think. Your logic always gets in the way. Your excuse may be illogical, but it seems logical at the time. You can convince your way out of anything as the echo chamber in your head knows everything about you. It has an unfair advantage over your conscience, so you crumble to in agreement with it.
So many times, I’ve fallen victim to paralysis by analysis, a debilitating thought process that has often cost me many opportunities. Frozen in the fear, I don’t act, and my chance to grow fades away. I remain small.
The Reason for This Blog
The most magnificent reflections in my life come to me when I work out. There are all kinds of science behind why your mind opens up when you’re in beast mode. It’s the reason why many people become addicted to body movement in the first place -myself included.
Before each workout, I set an intention to learn something about my life and world. And then, I record it on this blog to encapsulate my thoughts and then share them with you.
What Was My Intention?
I’ve finally battled myself back to good mental health. Now, it’s time to stretch my limits a little. My intention with today’s workout is to try something I wouldn’t do. Something daring and bold. While I will grow physically, it’s the mental growth that I’m after today.
How Did I Feel Before?
After my intense hill run yesterday, my glutes are pretty sore. Who knew running up a constant hill for an hour would strain the butt cheeks!? Mentally, I am feeling 100% better than I did a week ago. The alignment within my body is pretty awesome, so let’s ride the wave.
What Did I Do?
- A day out of the office with a group of awesome work-friends!
- Hike: 5 km, I ran uphill on the way out.
- A freezing cold dip in a waterfall pond.
How Do I Feel After?
I felt liberated from the fear of being shirtless in front of my colleagues. Unlike many out there, I am not a man who likes to be unclothed, I like to keep my shirt on.
The hike, was awesome and the air was so crisp! We had such great conversations and the energy within the team was sky-high.
As for the cold dip in the pond, it felt like a thousand needles sticking into me, but afterwards, I felt as though I had a full-body massage. I’d do it again in a heartbeat!
What Did I Learn?
As I mentioned, I do not feel comfortable being shirtless in public, let alone among friends. I’ve always been super self-conscience of my body, but today, I gave that up. I pushed myself and took the opportunity to get away from that irrational fear.
I learned that there are no perfect places to eradicate fear. It has to be done whenever the opportunity presents itself. Today, was my day to get rid of a fear, even if it meant freezing in a really cold pond!