Beyond the Comfort Zone

Do you ever have those moments when you see someone or something that makes you think, "Damn, that is motivating."?

For me, watching Lance Armstrong sprint away from his competition, surfers dropping in on massive waves and my favorite musicians have this effect.  I feel empowered, energized and motivated to be 'involved' and 'engaged' with life.

I've actually analyzed why I think these things motivate me and I can narrow it down to a few primary reasons--I have a need to be better, tougher and feel more 'alive'.

Armstrong has guts. He's mentally and physically tough and can push himself into realms of pain that can't be categorized.

Big wave surfers are risk takers and push themselves over the edge of monster swells without the option of turning back--they exhibit full commitment.

Musicians create and perform highly personal pieces of music for thousands, if not millions of people to judge and critique. They have nowhere to hide.

The question I ask myself is this: "What am I doing to be more like these people and what is potentially keeping me from achieving this goal?"

Scientists have documented how little we tap into our capabilities (mental, physical and emotional). Is it because we are afraid of failure or pain?  Or, is there more to it than that?

My guess is that we are mostly afraid of change--that is, the more we push ourselves beyond our comfort zone, the more we realize how much further we can push and better ourselves.  I think we realize that once we get into the habit and feel comfortable regularly pushing ourselves beyond our limits that this process is never ending.  And that's scary!

If you answered 'yes' to my initial question in this blog post you must (to some degree) see the value in challenging yourself. Deep down I think we all want to strive toward our true potential--I'm not convinced that humans can be satisfied merely existing.

What are your sources of motivation?  And do you seek opportunities to constantly improve yourself?

Finally, consider this:  What if you are the source of someone else's motivation? If this is the case, then the more you push yourself, the more you benefit others.