Find Your Limits and Push Past Them

I've found that often we aren't really forced out of our comfort zones. We have a few trials and tribulations here and there, but in our day to day lives, we often find ourselves pretty much doing what is expected of us and then succeeding at it. 

That's really not a bad thing. 

Imagine a life in which everyday we fought to make ourselves heard, or we had to work incredibly hard just to get by. Fortunately for most of us, this isn't the case. This is pretty much why we work hard to begin with, why we go to school, and why we plan for the future.

But...that doesn't mean we shouldn't push ourselves every now and then. 

Every time you push yourself, you learn a little more about who you are as a person and, more importantly, what you can and cannot do. Surprisingly, we often short change ourselves when it comes to estimating what we are capable of. 

By pushing yourself, you will come to know that you are much stronger than you think. It can be physically, intellectually, emotionally, or any other way you can think of.

Here's an example from my own life that I think of and use often. 

I like to go to the gym to workout. I find it energizing and it's a time where I get to do something physical, since the majority of my day involves sitting at a computer or standing in a lab fiddling around with small parts. I was never really into team sports (gymnastics is probably as close as you can get to an 'independent' team sport), so focusing on my own workout is a great way to get exercise and close out a work day.

My favorite part is when I'm really pushing myself and working hard. However, every so often, even when I think I'm pushing myself as hard as I can, I find that I have just a little more to give. And when I do that, when I push just a little harder, when I give just a little bit more, when I do that one extra set of pushups, I'm always amazed.

More importantly, I've set a new bar to reach and surpass.

I apply this to my life and especially in my pursuit of my passions. 

When I find that I've reached what appears to be a limit or block to my progress, I push just a little harder. When I think I've run out of ideas for ways to turn an idea of mine into a reality, I try just a little bit harder and often that's all it takes.

So find your limits. And then push past them.

How often do you really push your limits? 

- Ryan