When we react immediately to something with, “I don’t like this,” it’s a flashing neon sign of a potential opportunity to grow because such a reaction often is borne of an aversion to being stretched in new ways, literally and figuratively.
My personal trainer recently was teaching me a new exercise that I found awkward and challenging, and I told him, “I don’t like this,” hoping he’d let me off the hook or at least offer a more comfortable alternative. Instead, he carried on as though I hadn’t even spoken. Dumbfounded, I followed through and finished.
When I was done, I laughed and marveled at the effectiveness of his response. By refusing to even acknowledge my remark, he masterfully convinced me to do what I disliked, which ultimately was to my own benefit towards achieving my fitness goals.
I asked Ryon whether he’d even heard me. Yes, he had, but he’d carried on because he had confidence in my ability to do the exercise. He also knew that my choice of words would have been different if I’d needed to stop for a legitimate reason like my safety. Even though I doubted my own ability in that fleeting moment, he knew otherwise and convinced me to believe without a word. The experience made me wonder.
What if, when we notice ourselves react with dislike to the prospect of doing something, instead of perpetuating the thought with dread and looking for a way around it, we move through it like my trainer taught me?
Call ourselves on our own doubt and recognize it as an entree to growth instead of a deterrent.
Notice the next time something trips your dislike button. Acknowledge the thought, be curious about the source, be grateful to yourself for the feedback, and unless it’s something that poses a risk of harm, go for it.
See yourself on the other side of prevailing over what would have been more comfortable to avoid. Feel the pride and sense of accomplishment from having conquered a fear and allow that higher vibration to carry you through the very thing your ego would prefer to avoid. It’s already a done deal in your mind.
