Overcoming Obstacles and Going Beyond Your Limits

In this minisode, I share my experience at a Spartan Race,  and how it helped me discover what I’m capable of by overcoming challenges and obstacles.
We are all capable of so much more than we imagine! 

You will learn: 

• How to build your confidence to do the impossible 
• Where your biggest enemy lives 
• The value of challenging yourself  
• What we gain by being uncomfortable 
• How physical training makes you mentally stronger 

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Music: Jason Kay 

Cover Art: Angela Spellman 

Transcript

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Julie B: 0:00

Welcome to author your life, a podcast about making bold moves and big changes, living life powerfully on your own terms, outside social norms and expectations. Through conversations with inspiring individuals who forge their own path in life, we'll explore what it takes to face your fears and go after your dreams. You are not a victim of circumstance, you can always begin again, start a new chapter and rewrite your story. This is author your life. And I'm your host, Julie B. Let's get the conversation started. Hello, friends, welcome back to another episode of author your life. Two weeks ago, I did a Spartan Race. And I was not looking forward to this. Honestly, I thought I was going to hate it. So how I ended up getting into this is my cousin convinced me to do it. It was in Texas. And I agreed because I was like this is a great reason to take a trip. So the fact that we're going on vacation was a really nice distraction from the fact that I had just signed up for a 5k outdoor obstacle course, which I was not physically prepared for. I haven't stepped foot in a gym in over two years. I recently set up an in home exercise studio, but haven't actually incorporated strength training into my weekly routine yet. So I felt so unprepared for this race. I was super nervous. But I pushed all those thoughts aside, maybe if I don't think about it, it won't actually be so bad. So the day of the race arrives and the reality of what I agreed to began to settle in. I'm getting ready that morning, putting like tying my hair back in a ponytail, and the tears start welling up. I was legitimately overwhelmed and scared. Silent Tears are just streaming down my face. I let it out, finished getting ready. My cousin goes, Are you excited? And I'm like, I'm here. I'm going along with it. That's the most you're gonna get out of me. I'm sorry, I can't muster fake excitement right now. I was a very reluctant participant. So we get there we register we line up at the starting line. She's like, are you excited? I'm like, not really. But I'm here. Let's go. The two of us were standing on the actual starting line. And the announcers like giving his whole rundown like prepping us up hyping us up. And I look ahead and about 200 300 feet away from us, is our first obstacle. And it's like four foot walls that you have to climb over. And I look at those walls, and my brain says you can't do that. And then I was like, and I have to run and get over walls. Oh my God. They sent a little fog horn or whatever they did. They sent us off. I'm running. And I start crying again. Like tears are like streaming down my face. I'm still running. But every ounce of my being wanted to stop immediately. I wanted to quit. Before I even got going. I was like, Can I just turn around and go home now. I can't believe I'm actually doing this. We get to the wall. And I was right. I couldn't do it. I needed help. Like that feeling of using every ounce of strength in your body and pushing and trying as hard as you possibly can and not actually going anywhere was so devastating. And someone helped me this guy came over and like give me a little boost with my foot and I made it over the wall. And then I stopped and looked up ahead and realized that all the other racers were already ahead of us. They had moved on they were on their way to the next obstacle. Me my cousin and about five or six other people were the only people left at that obstacle. We were the last people behind on the course. It was the most demoralizing experience I have ever had. I stood there and once again, I started to cry. And my thoughts once again were Can I just leave and go home now, I cannot believe I'm doing this. My cousin looks at me. And she's like, cut it out. Julie, let's go. So we went, I kept going. And the really amazing thing is, I completely surprised myself. So I kept going. And we had this obstacle that was a dunk wall. And it's a big pit of mud with a wall, like a one foot wide wall in the middle of it. So you have to close your eyes and hold your breath, basically, and dunk your entire body, including your head underneath this wall and come out on the other side. It's not even that hard. It's literally a mental obstacle more than anything. And I got there. And I hesitated, of course, because my big thing was, I didn't want to get muddy in my eyes. My cousin looks at me, and she's like, this is what we came here for. And I was like, and I was just about to go for it. And the obstacle course supervisor or the obstacle, supervisor says, he goes, let her rip. And I was like, Okay, I close my eyes, I held my breath, I dived under the wall, I came out on the other side, and I was still alive. I couldn't open my eyes for about a minute. But I made it. Meanwhile, my cousin is still standing behind on the other sides still trying to work up the willpower to go under her and about half a dozen other people who are also still standing there deliberating. That felt really cool, because I'm the one who didn't even want to be there who was so demoralized and crushed. And I just tackled this obstacle headfirst that everyone else was reluctant to do. It's these little things that you have to look for, and give yourself credit for because we are all strong, in our own way. And some of us are stronger in some areas, and some of us are stronger in other areas. So that one, clearly, I didn't think about it, I just did it. Okay, then we get to the monkey rings. So the monkey rings are like these little loops on chains, and you have to swing from one to the other and grab on to the next one with your hands. I was not expecting anything to happen. So I got on to the first one. And was like, Wolf, I don't know if I can do this. I almost just stopped and didn't even try. And my cousin's like, you know, just try. And I did. And I actually grabbed the second ring. Like my hand grabbed it. And I was stunned. And I was like, wow, okay, let's try the next one. And I swung back and forth, and I let go, and I swung around and reached forward with my hand. And I grabbed the next ring. And one at a time, one ring at a time. I made it all the way across the monkey rings. Every time I swung and grabbed another ring, my confidence soared. I literally could not believe it. I was ecstatic to be honest. Like I just did something that I legitimately thought I could not do. Honestly, if I had given into my own thoughts and beliefs, I never would have even tried, I would have quit before I started. But because I decided to give it a try and take it one step at a time. That was it. Don't think about the whole thing. Just think about the next ring. Once you get there. Think about the next ring. Once you get there, think about the next one, one step at a time, along with encouragement, a lot of encouragement and cheering from other people. I made it and I just share that specific piece of the story to really illustrate to you that you are capable of so much more than you ever could think or imagine. We all are. Our minds are so powerful and our minds are our biggest enemies and our biggest limitations. Live in our own head between our own two ears. When you find a way to take action, despite your thoughts and your fear and your beliefs. I guarantee you, you are going to amaze yourself. And if you need a little extra encouragement, if you feel like you're falling victim to your own thoughts and fears and hesitations, listen to other people who love you who are encouraging you and cheering you on. Because they can help they can help get you out of your head, and help you see how amazing you are, help you find your own courage, or let you borrow a little bit of their courage and support and encouragement, so that you can see what you're capable of discover what you can really do, until you get your own confidence and get out on your own two feet. Honestly, I really enjoyed that race. I loved the experience. And I did so many things I thought I couldn't do. I actually finished I finished the whole thing. I did all the obstacles. I took help when I needed it, I did need help on a lot of the obstacles. And the whole thing was just such an empowering experience. I used to run races and half marathons. I've done a couple of obstacle courses in the city, like over a decade ago. And I used to push myself hard in the gym, do a lot of heavy weightlifting, I've done figure competitions. But I have not pushed myself to that degree in such a long time. And it felt so good. That's the coolest thing about a Spartan Race, in my opinion. Because honestly, it's through putting yourself through misery willingly. By making yourself physically uncomfortable and putting yourself in a situation where you need to get out of your head and just get out into the world and discover what you're capable of. That's exactly what happens. You discover what you're capable of. And that's why physical training, exercise fitness learning a new skill is so amazing. It's not just because it makes you physically stronger, it makes you mentally stronger. And that skill is transferable, everywhere in life. Whenever you train for something, you are guaranteed to end up doing something that you previously thought was impossible. If you just continue practicing over and over again. In time, you're going to develop skills that you didn't have before you're going to astonish yourself and surprise yourself. So every time you think I can't possibly do that, and then you make the effort. And then you repeatedly make the effort. And then surprise, one day you will accomplish your goal. It is the most exhilarating feeling, you just accomplish the impossible, you finally begin to realize what you once thought was impossible. Legit is within your grasp. Everything is within your grasp, anything is possible. Everything is possible. And this gives you the confidence to try even more things. When you challenge your limits. You discover what you're really made of, and what you're capable of. You are capable of so much more than you ever thought possible. That's the magic of challenging yourself. You discover your limits you push past them, you realize what you're capable of. And then you can strive for even more. Now not everyone has to go run a Spartan Race, if you really want to, I think you totally should. Very highly recommended. But maybe obstacle racing isn't your thing. Maybe it's long distance running or cycling. Maybe it's sprinting, maybe it's tennis or badminton or ballroom dancing. Maybe it's beat boxing, or breakdancing, whatever challenges you to be better and keep growing and gives you the chance to do something beyond way beyond what you ever thought you could do. Especially with time and practice. When you're able to do something physically that you literally could not do before. The feeling is amazing. And it carries over into every area of your life. Because in the act of physically challenging yourself discovering Your Limits and pushing past them. You just might discover what you're capable of everywhere in life. So I'm not advocating that everybody do a Spartan Race, I am advocating that everyone take on some kind of physical pursuit or hobby, something that challenges you. Our bodies are remarkable, and capable of so much. And in this modern world we live in. It's designed to cuddle us, we don't get the opportunity to really challenge ourselves physically, we have to go out and find it and create it for ourselves. You're not going to be challenged unless you deliberately go and find something that's going to challenge you. I'll leave you with this quote from Socrates. No man, or woman has the right to be an amateur in the matter of physical training. It is a shame for a man to grow old, without seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable. Go forth friends, and discover what you're capable of. Thank you so much for joining this conversation. If you enjoyed this episode, please be sure to leave a review and five star rating. Be sure to hit subscribe to catch all future episodes. I would love to know who's listening. If this podcast was valuable, please share with a friend. Take a screenshot and post to your social media along with your biggest takeaway from today's episode. Hashtag author your life podcast and tag me at MIT's Julie be underscore along with our guests from today. Your support helps this podcast grow. Until next time, friends. Keep writing your story and author your life