Author’s Note: This actually came from my other blog insomniac’s waking dream but I figure it might as well go here also.

It’s easy to fall into a routine that’s comfortable. But when you’re trying to achieve something you haven’t done before, ‘comfortable’ is a feeling you should be wary of. It’s the opposite of pushing yourself, of testing your limits and finding your boundaries. It’s a way to let yourself think you’re moving forward when you really aren’t.

If you want to progress and achieve your next goal, you have to push yourself. You have to do something different and you have to force yourself to be uncomfortable.

No one wants to be uncomfortable. You may look at fit people doing intense exercise thinking that they’re just used to it and they probably feel OK. They don’t. I’m sure they feel terrible a lot of the time. But they’re doing it anyway. If you don’t feel uncomfortable, you aren’t going to get better. It takes a lot of mental strength to decide that you’re going to purposely do something that you’re not sure you can do or that you are afraid of or that is going to be mentally, physically, or emotionally stressful.

It isn’t easy for me, and it isn’t easy for anyone. It’s a decision you make, not just something that happens automatically when you decide you want something.

I want to get a PR on my next half marathon and I know that if I keep running comfortably, I won’t get there. Wanting it doesn’t help unless I really push myself to follow through with it on every run in the next 2 months. I could do every run on my schedule without really pushing myself.

I usually avoid running in the heat (which for me is anything above 75 degrees) because it’s difficult and I hate being that hot while running. I’ve decided yesterday I need to get over this because if I keep doing what’s comfortable I’ll never learn how to run in the heat and I’ll always have a reason [read: excuse] not to run during the summer.

Similarly, last year I forced myself to learn how to ride moguls on a snowboard because even though I’m an advanced rider on other terrain, I was missing a huge portion of the mountain. I was sick of it. I finally faced my fear of looking like a beginner for an entire season and just did it. It was terrible at first but after a few weeks I finally got the hang of how to make the turns and started enjoying myself. Now instead of swearing (a lot) every time I find myself in the middle of a run full of bumps, I seek them out and end the run with a big smile on my face.

Allowing yourself to stay where you are comfortable provides no sense of accomplishment.

Most of us are guilty of not pushing ourselves yet complaining that we don’t see any change. It’s a mental pattern you have to break out of it you want real change in your life. Unfortunately, even if you break your habits and make a change, it’s incredibly easy to slide right back into your warm, happy comfort zone.

It’s why my second tattoo is a question: Are you where you thought you’d be?

I always want to keep asking myself that question and all the others that come along with it. Am I where I thought I’d be? If not, why? Maybe I’m not where I thought I would be, but is it because I’m in an even better place? Do I need to make any changes to my life to get to where I want to be? What choices did I make that brought me here? Would I make different decisions now? What do I want to do next?

I got the tattoo not just as a reminder to me, but as a question for everyone else in my life. You should always ask yourself these questions, at least every six months. It helps you take charge of your life and it helps you realize when you’ve allowed yourself to become comfortable. You may not even be able to answer them at the time, but at least you’re thinking about it.

So, are you where you thought you’d be?

Are you pushing yourself or are you allowing yourself to be comfortable?