Episode #125 Push Your Limits

Three Problems

• Everything we want in life is on the other side of hard.
• It is easy to do easy things and hard to do hard things.
• We will inevitably slip into mediocrity unless we remain alert and intentional.

Seven Principles

• If we are going to be anxious even while we coast, we might as well be anxious while we push our limits.
• Anxiety decreases as energy, enthusiasm, and initiative increase.
• The accomplishment of one difficult and daunting task often inspires and motivates us for the next time around.
• The achievement of any goal requires both intentionality to start and tenacity to see it through to the end.
• Sometimes pushing our limits requires us first to create boundaries.
• We can intentionally push our limits not only in the physical dimension of life but in the other eleven dimensions as well.
• A large amount of initial effort will get us moving, and a smaller amount of consistent effort will keep us moving.

The Pathway to Pushing Our Limits

• Leadership
• Identity
• Mindset
• Intentionality
• Tenacity
• Sacrifice

Five Practices

• When you feel stuck, stagnant, or doubt your ability to succeed, practice 5 minutes of massive effort or 10 days of tenacity.
• Instead of focusing on achieving balance in life, focus on developing rhythms and routines.
• When you feel the temptation to do something dramatic and dangerous, channel that energy into doing something intensely healthy.
• Aim to lay your head on your pillow each night feeling exhausted and proud of a hard day’s work.
• Identify an area in life where you are coasting, and consider how to exert massive effort into this area.