Challenge yourself to something new

Tomorrow I will be doing something that I have never done before, running a triathlon. Granted it is a small sprint triathlon, it will be a challenge that I am going to complete so I can set my sights on the next challenge, what ever that may be.

I think it is important to challenge yourself for several reasons. By creating small difficulties or stresses, and then completing them, it can instill a sense of pride and accomplishment that you can carry with you when it comes to the larger, unexpected challenges that life can bring. It's kind of like baby steps, in the sense that if you start out small and work your way up, then the bigger things aren't quite as daunting.

Challenging yourself can be as simple as setting a goal to wake up earlier, spend less time watching television, exercising more often, it really can be anything. Then after you have accomplished that goal set your sights a little higher. For example, now that you have reduced the amount of television that you are watching, you have more time to exercise, which in turn can allow you to live a longer and healthier life. Your goals don't necessarily need to be about you either. Perhaps a goal could be to volunteer in your local community, save an extra $25 dollars a month for a special trip with your family, or anything really.

I think it is important to always look forward and figure out what it is you want to accomplish. If you set goals, long term and short term, and you frequently revisit those goals to make sure you haven't strayed to far off track, then you, your family, and your friends will be proud of you and it may even motivate them to set some goals for themselves. I am writing this because I truly believe that if we can motivate ourselves and each other to accomplish small goals, then in the long run everyone will prosper from these little tasks.

What are your goals? Do you have a timeline to accomplish them? Let people know about these goals, that way they can support you and help you along the way. This triathlon is not going to be easy for me, but I have told several people about it, and they want to come out and cheer me on to the finish. Hopefully this will motivate them to do something outside of their comfort zone and, who knows, they may find something out about themselves that they didn't know.

Let me know what your goals are, and if I can help you accomplish them, I will. I enjoy seeing other peoples successes, and if I can help you get there, then it is an all around win.