By Suraj Chaudhary

When push comes to shove

Dear Reader,

I was wondering what I wanted to write about this week. Right then I remembered to go back to the basics and write about whatever I’ve been thinking about recently. So here goes nothing.

The human spirit is an amazing thing. It’s capable of doing and becoming more than we ever recognize. The fact is that we never really know our limits until we are pushed into them or until we decide to push ourselves beyond what we’re currently doing. These are the only two ways to push our limits: either there’s no other option so we have to, or you decide to take matters into your own hands.

It’s very easy to get caught up in the same routine day after day after day where you do exactly the things you already know well and don’t push yourself beyond that. Usually, we will keep doing the same things unless life throws a curveball at us. When the curveball arrives and we have no other option than to face it, we somehow figure it out, because we have to. This is when we are pushing our limits.

Many times we look at people dealing with really difficult things and we think “I could never handle this.” Yet when push comes to shove and we are faced with such a situation, we somehow figure it out. That is so amazing.

Our outer limits of what we can handle are well beyond what we seem to think. We are stronger and more capable than we typically believe we are, so it’s a shame that it takes the negative trials to show us that. Wouldn’t it be so much better if we could push ourselves beyond our limits without waiting for circumstances to force us there?

That has been on my mind a lot this week for some reason – The desire to push ourselves beyond our comfort zone and the desire to push ourselves to be more and do more than we are currently doing. So I’ve recently started trying to do the things I find difficult. I haven’t been a people person for most of my life, so I’m trying to grow out of what I’m comfortable with.

Why wait for life to leave no other option? Why not just push ourselves a little? Why not explore all the wonderful things that lie beyond our comfort zone?

While you’re at it, remember to start small. Perhaps start with:

Making your bed every morning. It will be your first accomplishment and you’ll come back to a bed that’s already made.
If you don’t like talking to people all that much (like me), try talking to one new person a week. Listen to the amazing experiences they have to share.
Do you want to get fitter? Try doing 5-10 pushups every morning after getting out of bed. See how amazing that makes you feel in less than a week.

We have the control of determining how much we will push our own limits to truly achieve our greatest potential in life. Don’t sit passively by waiting for life events to force you to go beyond your limits – Do it yourself first! It feels much more gratifying when you take charge and make it happen on your own. So start pushing your limits and discover exactly how far your limits can take you!

Warmly,
Suraj

PS: If you read this far, you might want to subscribe to my YouTube channel where I share ideas for self-growth.