Going to Darker Places

Going To Dark Places
02/21/07

I know – kind of a freaky/scary start to my entry today. However, I am not talking about haunted houses, Elm Street, Pilates or guys who wear Capri pants. Instead, I am talking about asking yourself those tough questions that take you to the darker places in your mind. Those questions we don’t like to ask, and especially answer, because it means feeling bad. Emotions such as guilt, disappointment, embarrassment, anxiety/pressure to change and a host of other shitty feelings are waiting there for us.

So, what do we do? We don’t “go there” and configure a number of rationalizations and excuses to make ourselves feel better – “I would work out more but I don’t have time”….. “I would lift heavier weights but I don’t want to be muscle-bound”…“I would try that kettlebell class but I will probably just get hurt”. The list goes on.

The real reason, in my opinion, almost always point back to a double-edged sword called fear. Fear of change, fear of injury, fear of embarrassment and fear of the truth. The later is especially important and possibly the most scary. When we go to those dark corners of our mind, look under the bed, and are worried about what we are going to see staring back at us, it’s that – the truth.

However, that is a great starting point/opportunity. Asking those tough questions, facing those demons, taking accountability, feeling un-comfortable and making some disciplined changes.

Thus, the comparison of fear to a double edged sword – it can burn you up or be the starting point for monumental change. The decision is 100% under our control and 100% our choice to make.

It just has to start with making a commitment to regularly visit those “dark places” and learn to be okay with feeling uncomfortable. From my experience, if something is uncomfortable, it probably has value. As an example, I have been training GS (Girevoy Sport) now for a little under a year. If you are not familiar with this sport, it is brutal - the ultimate test of strength/endurance. For more info on GS, go here - www.nakf.net. Anyway, in training I was avoiding constructing my workouts the way I should for a simple reason - it was hard and meant more discomfort. Instead, I rationlized going with a different program that was difficult, but still not what I truly needed to get the results I wanted. So, I made the change, my workouts became more difficult/uncomfortable.....BUT.. now I am getting better results than ever. I just had to be straight with myself, make the change and be okay with paying a bigger price for a better result - totally worth it!