Human nature; the realm of the illogical. I am always fascinated with why people act a certain way, even if the act is sometimes not in their best interest. How about parents who take their obviously overweight children to McDonalds all the time. Can't they see that the last thing these kids need is a steady diet of fried, fattening food? Or how about people who cannot find the time to better themselves through exercise or meditation but can find the time to sit for several hours a day watching their favorite programs on TV? The list goes on and on. For the life of me, I have been trying to find out why people act so illogical all of the time. What is it that people do that act in their own best interests?
What I found is that people naturally start creating “comfort zones”. These are basically set models or behaviors that one finds the minimal amount of stress in. It's kind of like the path of least resistance; your mind basically will tend toward a less stressful environment than a more stressful environment. For example, maybe the parents who take their kids to McDonalds all the time don't want to take the time to cook a different meal every day. The cooking would be a more stressful task then just getting in the car and driving to the McDonalds.
I deal with the latter example every day as an endurance coach. It seems like people would rather sit down and watch their favorite episode of 24 than get outside and just walk for 30 minutes. There is more anxiety and stress changing into their fitness clothes and getting outside to walk a little than plopping down in front of a large TV and stare at it for an hour or two. The TV provides a huge comfort zone for a lot of people who would normally do other, more creative things in their lives.
After a while these comfort zones actually start turning into another thing, PRISON WALLS. A person who spends most of his or her life inside that comfort zone will never realize his/her creativity, will not unleash the potential inside him/her, and will forever stay trapped in a prison of his/her doing. After many years of this the person would wonder what happened to his/her life. This is the result of having never challenged him/herself in anything relevant.
But all hope is not lost. I am starting to see a huge trend change, where people actually realize the prison that they've created for themselves and have started to find a way to escape it. Part of this is our current economic situation. Not many people have steady jobs anymore that contribute greatly to their comfort zones. These people are forced outside, and there they start to flourish and get creative. For some reason, our government is trying to prevent this from happening by trying to keep people within their comfort zones by extending unemployment benefits to infinity, the offering of other governmental assistance, and other such programs designed to keep creativity to a minimum and the comfort zones to the maximum.
Despite what the government does to stymie creativity, I also see a huge awakening. In my line of work I see a lot more people entering the marathon in recent years. I've also seen a lot more people entering the Ironman Triathlon in recent years. Now I'm actually starting to see a higher volume of people who are interested in running an ultramarathon (any race over the 26.2 mile marathon distance). This is quite the trend that I'm seeing. I attribute it as people who are finally trying to break out of their own prisons by empowering themselves.
The ultramarathon is a good microcosm of that empowerment. At first, running 100 miles in one day sounds insane. But the people who actually finish these races spend several years staying outside the comfort zone, challenging themselves as much as they can, even failing in the process a couple of times. But they continue to challenge themselves until they finally achieve their goals. Human potential is basically unbounded and limitless when you tear down those prison walls. To all those triathletes and runners who have finished the marathon, the Ironman, and the ultramarathon, my hat's off to you. You have challenged yourself to go where few people have gone before and I commend you for your success. All I ask of you is to expand your challenges to other areas of your life where you feel are imprisoned. Go ahead and start your own business. Go ahead and talk to that attractive girl you feel is unattainable. Go ahead and ask your boss for that raise. You might fail miserably the first time, but, as you learned in your training, persistence will eventually grant you success.
As for those people who are starting so realize the prisons they find themselves in, it's never too late to change! The first immediate thing you need to do to break down your prison walls is turn off that TV, turn off that cell phone, and get out there and walk for 20-30 minutes each day. This will serve to clear your mind and reconnect with reality. TVs, cell phones, and other gadgets of modern technology only serve to muddle and coherent thinking. If you can get away with using them for at least a half hour, you can often start to clear your mind somewhat. Then start thinking what you feel you want to do that will bring out your full potential. Go ahead and think big goals! This reconnection with reality might take some days or even a couple of weeks, but you'll find that your mind will clear more and more each day. Once you have set your lofty goals, start planning your steps toward that goal. DON'T BE AFRAID TO FAIL! You might fail numerous times, but persistence is everything. Despite what society tries to tell you, failure is a great learning experience; you'll learn not to take the steps that made you fail in the first place. Keep at it and eventually you will succeed.
Even though I have 6 Ironman races under my belt, my life is dotted with failures. I failed at my first half-Ironman race at Tupper Lake in 1991; in 1992 I went back, finished and took 2nd place in my age group. In 1994 I failed at my first Ironman distance race at Martha's Vineyard in 1994; my second attempt at Ironman Canada in 1996 was very successful, finishing under 11 hours. In 2008 I attempted my first 100 mile ultramarathon and had to bow out at mile 75. Realizing the mistakes I made, I hope to finish my first at the Vermont 100 Mile Ultramarathon this July. Yes, most of the time failure is tough to take emotionally, but getting back into the saddle is the best way to stare failure in the face, try again, and eventually succeed.
This is reflected in every other areas in life. You need to realize that only YOU are the one that can realize your greatest potential. One YOU are the one that needs to empower yourself to escape your own prison and out of your comfort zone. Only YOU are the one who can make the effort to fulfill your life's expectations. Do not wait for anyone else to make the effort for you. The power is within YOU. And YOU have that ability to move mountains if you focus on it. Your potential can be limitless!
If someone else tells you that you cannot finish a marathon and you feel you can, you have that power to make the effort and take the steps needed to finish that marathon. If you've been laid off and you've been told you are “overqualified” for the position you're in, maybe it's about time to put those qualifications for YOUR use and start a business yourself. If you proactively take the bull by the horns, it's quite amazing how everything else starts to fall into line and how much support you will get from friends and family. Because your empowerment is contagious, other people will want to help be part of your success.
Whatever your goals are, you always need to get out of your comfort zone and try to achieve your greatest potential. It's the only way to live life to the fullest. And you wouldn't want to live any other way once you start trying. Trust me.
