by Bridgette Wilson

When I woke up this morning, I had a lot on my mind. My thoughts were spinning out of control. My body was tired and I felt like hitting the snooze button just one more time. Then, I thought to myself, why am I so tired? Where is my motivation? I thought back to a time where I would easily push myself up out of the bed and hit that treadmill every morning at 4:45AM. I was pumped and motivated because I wanted to see change. I wanted to be healthy and hit the goal I had set for myself.

However, as the time has passed and I have hit that goal, what is driving me to continue this quest? How did I lose my motivation? Is it my age and stage in my life now? Finally, as I rolled out of bed, missing the floor only by an inch, the light bulb went off in my head. I need a new challenge! I need a new motivating factor in my life. I need a reason to get up and push harder than ever. Yes, I have reached my goal of maintaining my weight loss for over a decade. But, believe it or not, on some days, it’s not enough to push me out of my warm bed at the crack of dawn.

In that brief moment as I almost had second thoughts to hit the snooze button rather than changing into my workout clothes, I made a declaration to myself. If I don’t challenge myself beyond my capacity, I won’t continue to change and evolve. We need challenges constantly. Challenges push us and drive us to keep the course. If we stop challenging ourselves, we stop learning and thriving. We can never find true fulfillment outside of ourselves. True fulfillment comes from within.

So, today, I want you to challenge yourself. Think outside the box. What have you always wanted to do but thought you were limited? It’s ok to love what you do, but beware of complacency. Always challenge yourself to do something you have never done before. This will not only move you forward, but it will give you a sense of purpose that will change your perspective on the way you see yourself and the world around you.

After I started my workout, I decided to change the routine. I did more incline work and added in some additional weights. I realized I am stronger than I thought. I never realized until that moment that I was still limiting myself to my old strength capacity. Changing my routine challenged my strength capacity, which has changed my perspective. I can do more and you know what…so can YOU.

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