A funny thing happened on the way to my soccer game this past Sunday. Not like literally during the drive over, but in the time leading up to the game and it all happened without me specifically noticing it.
As I mentioned a little bit in my post yesterday on potential, my experience at Tough Mudder really opened my eyes a bit to what I can and cannot do. Going through such an unbelievably challenging event like that (probably the hardest physical thing I have ever done) made me reflective in the weeks that followed. If you asked “How so, you charming devil?”, well… then (1) thank you for the compliment you kind and observant soul; and (2) let me tell you.
Between work busy-ness and life busy-ness and all the lifting and physical training I do anyway, I’ve sometimes been concerned about overdoing it. As Saint Mom Kuzia has always said about me, I tend to be either all-in or all-out. I’m not terribly good at finding that smooth, even-keeled middle that some other people tend to have as they navigate the waves of life. I’ve gotten a little better in this regard, but certainly not great. So I have had times where I felt rundown or tired or unmotivated as I pushed through my training sessions. I would chalk this up to life catching up with me and just being way, way, waaaaay too overstretched.
After Tough Mudder, I suddenly wasn’t so sure. I certainly have more stress than I would care for, but was that really what was limiting me? Or, as I wrote yesterday, had I created an artificial boundary around my own potential? I decided to say “Screw it” and see if I couldn’t get a little more juice going for myself by pushing a little harder in each training session I had.
Lo and behold! I play soccer this past Sunday, switch to more of a midfield position versus my typical backfield defender position… I need to run a ton more… and probably played the best game I have had in YEARS. I am no by NO MEANS some kind of talented soccer wiz – quite the contrary. I picked up the game seriously 10 years ago at 29 and have loved it ever since, but I will never be the guy to dazzle you with my deft footwork and majestic shots on goal. I’m a worker. A scrapper. A hustler… and boy did I hustle this past week and had a ton of fun doing it.
None of this would have happened if I didn’t get myself out of that preconceived notion of my own boundaries. That’s the beauty of finding moments to really get out of your own comfort zone – the time in that awkward experience is likely terribly unpleasant, but in many ways, you aren’t doing it for that moment, but for ones that follow.
Present pain. Future payoff. An excellent personal transaction.