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When was the last time you really pushed yourself to do something difficult? Something you hadn’t done before? Something that maybe even scared you just a little?

It’s far too easy to become complacent with our lives and stay within our comfortable safety zone. Maybe you walk the same 2-3 mile route every day. Or you go to the gym and do the same exercise routine. Or you really would like to try out a vegetarian diet but can’t get out of your meat-eating routine.

Here’s an idea:  set a date and push yourself out of your familiar safety zone. Pick a realistic goal, something that’s a bit beyond what you normally do, but not so crazy that you’re going to hurt yourself trying.

Here’s a personal example:  Suzanne, Fern and I joined a Master’s Swimming group in Bennington. We can all swim, but this is definitely out of our comfort zones. We’re learning flip turns, which for me involve quite a lot of water in my nose, ears, sinuses, and other unpleasant places that leave me coughing and gagging. But you know what? I’m getting it! Even better, it’s fun and I feel a true sense of accomplishment at the end of every swim session.

Another story:  Marie ate an overall healthy diet, but decided to take it up a notch after a heart attack. She’s feeling even better than before the heart attack, has dropped weight and dress size(s) and her zest for life has zoomed to new heights. All because she decided that eating sweets and foods with saturated fat just aren’t as important as feeling great. She pushed out of her comfort zone, took a risk, and celebrates each day of her full and exciting life.

What are you going to do to step out of your comfort zone? Let us know and we’ll support you all the way. If you need some help, contact me for a few coaching sessions to help you establish goals, develop a game plan to make those goals a reality, and celebrate your success.

Quote for today:  “Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible”
Anthony Robbins

Ask yourself this question:  If I took fear out of the equation, what would I want to do?

What’s the first answer that pops into your mind?

A very wise person I know believes that fear can act both as a motivator and as a brake on our aspirations. Fear motivates us to get busy and accomplish something if we’re worried about our competition. But fear can also hinder our progress if we let fear take over so that we’re powerless to make any meaningful action.

Take fear out of the picture. If you know you’re not going to fail, what do you want to do?

Use your answer to this question to help you develop a broad, global vision for what you want out of your life. Once you’re certain about your overall goals and dreams, you can start to build a platform to make those dreams a reality. It all starts with a vision. What’s yours?

I just received one of the most powerful emails ever. You simply HAVE to watch this at: https://secure.pursuantgroup.net/pursuant4/deltadeltadelta/fall08/dddselect/flashstory.asp

If you’re female, this video speaks directly to you. If you’re a male and have female friends, you need to pay attention to this video. If you’re an adult who interacts with female children or teens, we can all learn how important our words are to young people.

Please watch the video and let me know your thoughts.

Saturday was the local Maple Leaf Half-Marathon in my community. Over 300 people came out in the pouring rain, courtesy of the remnants of Hurricane Hanna, to test their resolve and attempt to reach their goals.

Some were exuberant as they crossed the finish line, thrilled that they exceeded their expectations. Others came hobbling through, humbled by the hills, the weather, or the miles. A number of people told me they want to participate in this race again next year, to challenge themselves to the distance or to prove to themselves that they really CAN conquer the hills in southwestern Vermont.

Here’s what I love about this event:  you can’t wake up one morning and decide “Hey, I think I’ll run a half-marathon today.” 13.1 miles is something you have to work toward.  We have to utilize long-term planning skills to outline a training program, and short-term skills to make sure that we stick to that program when life gets in the way (sick kids, sore feet, hectic work schedule, visiting relatives, bad weather; what other obstacles can you add?).

Congratulations to everyone who finished the Maple Leaf Half-Marathon. If you can reach your goal of running 13.1 miles, then you of course can set - and meet - whatever other goals you have in your life. You didn’t let the rain or the hills stop you. What’s next on your agenda?

Over the past few days I’ve spoken with a number of people about setting goals higher than we think we can accomplish. Much of this discussion has been around running a local 5K race. Some of the people ran a 5K earlier this year, but then life got in the way and they haven’t been running lately. Others are afraid that it might be a bit painful to run or walk a 5K. Some are just afraid of tackling something they’ve never done before. And of course there’s the weather question:  what if it rains?

I encouraged each person to set their goals high, take a deep breath, and make the plunge. Now, I’m not suggesting that you run a half-marathon (13.1 miles) without putting in training, or apply for a new job without first doing your research. What I’m talking about is going for something challenging, but not overwhelming or impossible. Accomplishing a goal that we’ve had percolating in the back of our minds. Meeting a challenge that we secretly have been dreaming about.

I’d really like to know:  when was the last time you tackled something difficult, a challenge that you set just for yourself? What goal did you accomplish, and how did it make you feel? What’s stopping you from setting a new goal today?

Last week I took our oldest son to college in Boulder, Colorado. Now, I’m used to the Green Mountains in Vermont, not the brown and rocky, well, Rockies, in Boulder. Friends told me about the wonderful Boulder Creek path that runs up into the foothills. I figured, if I can run in Vermont, I can run into  the foothills of Colorado.

I got up early one morning and headed west on the trail. No solitary running in Boulder; there were people running, walking, walking their dog, and biking. I couldn’t really tell that the trail was going uphill except for my labored breathing. That, and the comments from people coming down from the foothills that “it’s a lot easier on the way down!”. They were right!

I could never see the end of the hill, or the “top” as I was running because the path kept twisting and turning. There was no summit to hit, no visual landmark to tell me that I had made it to the top. I just kept going, trusting that I would either get to the top or my time would run out.

It turns out that my time ran out before I made the top, if there is even such a thing on this trail. I gave myself 40 minutes, and pushed it an extra 5 minutes before I turned around to head back to the car. Steadily chugging along uphill, not knowing what lies around the next corner, is enlightening and almost freeing. I think there are many parallels to this in life:  we can’t always see the “end”, but we keep going toward our goal.

I finished the run feeling absolutely wonderful with both the physical exercise and the mental freedom to keep looking up toward the tops of the rocky mountains. I’ll try to recapture those feelings throughout the next weeks as I go through my work days as well as my runs back home in Vermont.