Enduring Discomfort and Learning to Push Your Limits

Everyone has a pain threshold. Some of us can take more than others. Some of us can’t take much at all.

On one hand there are the people such as Marcus Luttrell (The “Lone Survivor”). He was shot multiple times, experienced a compound fracture in his leg, and fell down a mountain after his 3 comrades were gunned down. Then he walked to another village before being rescued! (This explanation hardly does this hero justice, check out the book or the movie to find out more.)

Let’s just say his pain threshold is higher than yours and mine.

Then there are people who can barely run a lap around the track without complaining about a blister or some sort of ache. They have never had to endure physical pain in their lives.

So what separates the two categories? And what does that distinction mean? Today I want to explore some reasons for enduring discomfort and skill of learning to push your limits.

Learning to Push Your Limits

One of the things I feel extremely fortunate for is my experience in sports. In sports, especially football, you learn to push yourself beyond your limits. You learn that you have more potential than you know. But if you want to tap into that potential, you have to be willing to put yourself through pain.

Those of us that were willing to put ourselves through the pain of training hard were fortunate enough to play. The translation of that lesson into the real world is hard to convey to someone that has never trained for a physical competition or race.

Putting ourselves through physical hardships teaches us to endure mental hardships.

Long days at an office are nothing compared to playing with a broken bone. Having to put up with a moody boss is petty compared to conditioning tests in the August heat. And you feel less of the need to complain about pay when you don’t have to sit in an ice bath every night just to be able to get out of bed the next day.

Becoming More Stoic

If you know what it’s like to sacrifice and endure some sort of pain (physical or mental), you are able to survive hardships longer.

I was talking with a new friend this weekend and I told him about my work history, jumping into the unknown, and everything I have been doing since. I told him about cutting my expenses and living below my means in order to save money.

He called it going into “survival mode.” I love that term.

I know what it’s like to sacrifice. So when it was time to cut expenses, go through some rough patches, and dig in, I was ready for it.

In survival mode, we have to be able to endure things that might seem crazy or stupid to people that live with an abundance of luxury in their lives. I often wonder what would happen if we had a major crisis and we (Americans) had to begin sacrificing all of our luxuries. Who would make it?

To me, “survival mode” was about cutting the fat and limiting my expenses. If I didn’t need it I stopped paying for it. I was able to stretch my savings if I was willing to get used to some hardships like dropping cable and riding my bike as often as I can. Which now are two things I love about my life, I’m not glued to the TV and I get exercise even on days I can’t get to the gym.

Minimalists know exactly what I’m talking about. The less you have, the more free you feel in a lot of ways. If you get used to having a little, than abundance is not necessary. And you magically become more grateful for the things you DO have.

Testing Ourselves

I didn’t realize how much I could sacrifice until I had to. It’s difficult to change a lifestyle when you are comfortable. But the more we live in comfort, the weaker we tend to become (this is my personal opinion and I will gladly debate it with you). When you live a life of ease, you aren’t ready for the real challenges when they come your way.

That’s not to say I sleep on floor every night and “forget” to brush my teeth because it’s uncomfortable talking to people. But taking a cold shower every once in a while isn’t going to kill anybody. And when you can endure self-inflicted discomfort, the unexpected discomforts don’t seem to have as much of an effect and we are able to take them in stride.

Regularly testing yourself helps to build up that ability to cope with discomfort. So when it comes and you’re not ready for it, you won’t freak out. You can comfortably act like you’ve been there before.

Testing yourself build confidence and the ability to take on more challenges/hardships/uncomfortable situations. I want to challenge you to regularly step out of your comfort zone and start learning to push your limits.

This can by physical testing like a race, weight loss, trying a new sport/activity, or it can be taking a cold shower. It can be mental testing such as reading a book beyond your ability, it can be writing (P.S. you don’t have to share it like I do), or it can be something such as learning a new skill. Or it can be something social like going to a networking event or asking a stranger out on a date if that scares you.

There’s lots of ways to test yourself when it comes to pushing limits!

Whatever you choose, push yourself and learn to endure that discomfort intentionally. When you can are able to step out of that comfort zone, you’ll find a whole new world waiting for you.

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What are you thoughts on pushing your limits? How about being uncomfortable?

I look forward to hearing from you below or on Twitter (@mikemccann3), have a great day!

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