Message to My Kids: Push Yourself to Your Limit and Then Push a Little Harder

"The sky's the limit..." I'm sure we've all heard that phase many times. Or a different phrase with a similar idea.  Basically there is no dream, no achievement, no goal out of reach.  It's a great message......especially for kids.  Everyone's "sky" and goals are different but we should all push ourselves out of our comfort zone and into our sky, whatever that may look like.

For me, starting this blog was my sky.  Not that it was the highest thing I could ever achieve, but that it was out of my comfort zone which is exactly why I did it.  I've received great feedback from friends and strangers which I appreciate, some of which has been specifically related to my honest writing of raw emotions.  Things we all think about but don't necessarily share with the world.  But when I decided to share with the world I had to be ready for criticism as well as praise.  That was definitely out of my comfort zone.

The comfort zone is safe, it's nice, it's familiar.  I know what is going to happen, how and when.  But the comfort zone is a plateau, a place of zero growth, no learning or advancement.  It's just so easy to stay in that comfort zone.  And when most of us have a path to choose between easy and hard, we know which we will chose. Even if we know which one is better for us.  So your sky may be much higher, much different from mine and that's ok.  All of our skies should be different, we were not born with all the same abilities or talents.  We do not have the same goals. We do not have the same comfort zone.

How do you know you've pushed yourself hard enough? For me, it's feeling like I'm going to throw up.  Like you're literally nauseated either from butterflies in your stomach or physically from working out too hard. That's a good indication that you're definitely out of your comfort zone.  But you will come out stronger on the other side...like "yeah, I just did that thing that scared the sh*t out of me....I am badass!"

I used to religiously watch the show "The Biggest Loser".  I loved watching the emotional and physical transformations of the contestants.  From the very first episode they are put to work and there's always the one person that vomits or faints from pushing themselves so hard.  The trainers would get totally excited about it.  The contestant pushed him or herself to the point of physical exhaustion!  They reached their "sky!"

So the message I want to leave my kids is push yourself so hard you think you're going to vomit! 

(Words of wisdom from a pediatrician!)  Your sky, your limit is higher than you think, I promise.  Don't settle for easy, don't settle for good enough.  Get uncomfortable, get nauseous and then live to tell about it from the other side.  Your sky is always changing and (hopefully) always getting higher, because as you grow, your sky will grow.  Never be afraid of being uncomfortable, never be afraid of something being hard.  The best things in life are not handed to you, they are earned with hard work and determination.  And if you do actually throw up, I promise to be there to hold your hand and (for my girl) pull your hair back!

What's your sky? How do you push yourself out of your comfort zone?