What separates those who succeed from the rest of the pack? HARD THINGS!
Hard things are the wall that must be overcome to move from mediocre to exceptional. Albert E.N. Gray, in The Common Denominator of Success, explains that the successful form habits of doing things that others don’t like to do. In fact, Gray says, “It is easier to adjust ourselves to the hardships of a poor living than it is to adjust ourselves to the hardships of making a better one.”
Are you living in your comfort zone?
I have news for you. Your very best, supersized self exists just outside your comfort zone. You don’t have to create it. Your very best, supersized self exists there now. You must choose to move up and over or through the wall of pain, fear, doubt, anxiety and any other brick of negativity that you’ve mortared into your personal wall of limitation.
Father of the Human Potential Movement, Abraham Maslow, wisely observed, “In any given moment, we have two choices: step forward into growth or step backward into safety.” What have you been choosing? Do you have some human potential you’re holding back?
Maslow gave it all, breaking through the wall of discomfort time and time again to become one of the greatest psychologists of the 20th century. In his own words, “I develop insomnia, cold chills, even poor digestion…slowly, it dawns on me that something is cooking intellectually inside. So by now, at the age of nearly 60, I know that if I begin to suffer from insomnia, digestive problems, glumness, and grimness, it is actually a good sign.”
“Bring it on!” These are the words of the winner, according to The Tools authors, Phil Stutz and Barry Michels. If you start to feel uncomfortable you’ve moved right up against the border town of your best. Enter Tool #1 from Stutz and Michels – THE REVERSAL OF DESIRE. Rather than try to avoid discomfort we need to embrace it. The most successful learn to love pain. Peak performers are willing to sacrifice a pleasurable process for the purpose of the prize. Champions endure to win.
Champions like Abraham Maslow go pro. In Turning Pro, Stephen Pressfield argues, “When we turn pro, we give up a life with which we may have become extremely comfortable…We go all in. We commit full-time. We become a Professional and show the proper level of commitment to something we love so deeply.” An amateur does the thing when they feel like doing it whereas the pro acts no matter how they feel. The amateur has big dreams but only commits in their minds (easy) not in daily action (hard). Do you doubt this truth? Consider all the things that you’re willing to deny yourself to steer clear of the things you dislike doing. Ah, get it now?
Heroic founder Brian Johnson captures this critical mindset in the mantra “OMMS”, meaning “Obstacles Make Me Stronger”. Think about it. Is the Olympic athlete taking the easy way? No, high performers have a “Bring it on” attitude. They pursue challenge. The successful know obstacles bring out the best. You don’t go to the gym to lift Styrofoam weights. You lean into discomfort and what was uncomfortable becomes comfortable. You set a new normal. You grow. You win.
When asked how he would carve an elephant, Michelangelo replied, “I would take a large piece of stone and take away everything that was not the elephant.” Obstacles carve away the excess. Challenges cut weight. Lean you down to your essential self.
Do you need a little willpower to find your way? In the Willpower Instinct, award-winning Stanford Professor and health psychologist Kelly McGonigal, Ph.D., writes, “You won’t find many quick fixes in this book, but there is one way to immediately boost willpower: Slow your breathing down to four to six breaths per minute…which helps shift the brain and body from a state of stress to self-control mode.”
Breath is the rocket fuel that launches you through the wall of hard things. It carries you through to your very best, supersized self that exists outside your comfort zone. Elite performers get the job done in the company of the breath. The NBA player at the free throw line for a game-winning shot, the politician before a critical speech, you on the doorstep of your next peak performance.
Mark Divine, Navy SEAL Commander, author, and entrepreneur, tells us, “Breath awareness and control is the number one tool for Unbeatable Mind students who challenge themselves and push the envelope. But it is equally effective to enhance your performance in the boardroom.” Leading peak performance coach, Jim Loehr echoes Divine’s wisdom in his book, Breathe In, Breathe Out, saying, “Breath control is the force that leads to the emotional control that leads to the winning feat.”
The snake that cannot cast its skin has to die. ~ Friedrich Nietzsche
Save your very best, supersized self. Take a big breath and do the hard thing.