Stop trying to only do the things that come easy to you. Growth requires you to do the things that are hard, difficult, and challenging. You are forcing your mind and body to adapt quicker causing you to become better. The times I’ve seen the most progress in my life are when I chose to challenge myself. This is one of the many lessons I learned going to the gym.
There was a time when I would rarely use weight that I considered heavy. I was just more comfortable with using weights that I could get at least 8 reps with. I was new to working out and did not have a lot of knowledge at the time. When it came time for me to max out, my max would barely increase five-ten pounds. But then life would happen and I would be out of the gym for a month or two. When I returned, it would feel as if I’d lost all of my gains. I just didn’t understand it. It wasn’t until I got the right people around me who encouraged me to consistently train with heavy weight (heavy weight that I could control with good form) that I really noticed changes. My maxes were going up a lot quicker. I was getting bigger and stronger. My muscles were more solid. Working out with heavy weights shocks the central nervous system forcing my body to respond. Consistently training like this allowed me to be able to get 10 reps with weight that I could previously only get 2-3 reps with. The only way I was able to get to this point was because I made my uncomfortable place, comfortable.
Don’t cheat yourself in life. You want to grow. That will require you to do some things that are difficult at first. It use to be so hard for me to get up at 3:30 in the morning. Now, it’s just whatever. Do not be afraid of challenges. Instead of finding ways to avoid it, embrace it. If you want to continue to go through the motions by doing what’s easy, then you have that choice. But if you want to grow and get to a place that you’ve never been, then do the thing that it is hard until it becomes easy.
Shawn's Blog 