Do what scares you!

This week’s post is yet another short but sweet one.  My dissertation deadline is just 2 weeks away, which is a scary thought. Whilst it is petrifying, I hope that the hard work I put in will pay off, similarly to running. 

One of the main things I have been learning to do this year is what scares me. If it feels a big, scary, unknown concept, I probably should be doing it. There is that saying, ‘Always go with the choice that scares you the most, because that’s the one that is going to help you grow’. I think this is genuinely true. The only way we will improve is and step towards our goals is by doing things that our out of our comfort zone, that we have never done before. Ultimately, if we want to progress, we have to step into the unknown, because you never know where it might lead to. 

Whether it be doing different sessions, running different paces, or structuring your week differently, those scary unknowns can sometimes be the exact ingredients you need to add.

One thing I said to myself this year, was that I would be courageous and do things that scared me. Previously, I always trained hard, but I mostly just did sessions that were within my comfort zone, and as a consequence, I left a lot of stones unturned. Something that has been surprising, is the amount of enjoyment I have gained from doing those ‘scary’ concepts. The act of doing something that scares you and coming out the other side, gives you the confidence and strength to grow. If we never venture towards what scares us, we are unlikely to progress beyond where we feel comfortable. 

I’m not saying, if you’re scared of spiders you should sit in a room infested with spiders, but what I am saying is that you should at least peer inside the window. When you take things step by step, they don’t have quite the same effect as they do if you dive straight in. But, if you learn to sometimes disengage your brain and let your body take over, you might amaze yourself with what you are capable of. 

So, this is just a little message to say, don’t hold back. If it scares you, do it, because the feeling afterwards will be so rewarding.