How committed are you to starting something new? How committed are you to really growing? That’s the question I have to ask myself everytime I get on my mountain bike to ride with my son’s high school mountain biking team.
We recently had a “Christmas Ride” where we were asked to dress up and to decorate our bikes. Needless to say, I am all in when it comes to participating in challenges like that. (See photo).
Dressing up was the easy part of this story. The hard part comes when we head up into the hills to practice. Multiple times each week our team rides 8-12 miles in the hills and it is tough with nearly 2,000 feet in elevation gain. And it can be dangerous.
But all challenges are tough! And they can be dangerous! That’s why we call them challenges. And all challenges help us grow in one way or another. They help us to stay young, sharp, and ready.
Mountain biking is probably not your thing, but what can you do to challenge yourself?
Early in my career I voluntarily took a “Conflict Resolution” training course because I hated conflict so much. Now, 20+ years later, I still benefit from that course.
I have dyslexia, so I challenge myself to write. Are there mistakes in my writing? You bet! But I write anyway.
Early in 2021 I had Covid-19 and the brain fog lingered for months. Did that stop me from growing and leading? No, I had to push through. I had to face the challenge.
The real estate market is changing right now, so do I stop trying new marketing ideas? No. Do I stop talking about it because I might be wrong about what will happen in the future? No. I keep going and I face the challenges.
Circling back to mountain biking…I learn new things each time I am out riding. I learn new techniques, I learn new trails, I experience new challenges and new victories. By choosing something that is “hard” I am benefiting in all other areas of my life.
What are you going to start doing today that is challenging?