Know your boundaries and determine how much discomfort is tolerable.

The goal is to do something different. The goal is to grow, but not too much too soon. There’s no way to learn where our true boundaries are set if we aren’t pushing ourselves beyond the four walls of our comfort zone. Knowing how far we can take our mind and willpower will increase agility in the ways we think and also allow us to discover our under-utilized capabilities.

The process of muscle growth is the best analogy. When lifting weights, your muscle fibers are literally being torn apart, little by little throughout the workout. But when you rest, your body begins to replace and repair those same fibers – leading to the creation of strength, resilience and overall thickness of that muscle group. This process and concept applies to mental conditioning. Take your psyche to unchartered territory and crawl your way to the finish line. There’s a great chance you’ll look back and realize that it wasn’t actually as bad as you imagined.

Consciously strengthen your patience for ambiguity while training your mind to accept challenges on a more frequent basis. Adversity is the best way to reintroduce yourself to yourself.

-JO