Have you had a chance to do something recently that you used to do as a kid, but when it came time to do it you were way more hesitant than you ever imagined you would be?

Let me give you an example.

I grew up on 80 acres out in the country and it was awesome. I had an 80 acre playground to play war, ride horses, ride motorcycles, snowmobile, camp out and have bonfires.

Did I mention it was awesome?

A couple years ago we bought a couple motocross bikes to ride and I thought I’d show my kids some of the hills we used to ride. However, a couple friends with motocross bikes beat me to it. I found myself looking at this hill wondering if I could make it up. I couldn’t believe I was even questioning it. When I was younger I wouldn’t have even thought about it.

And the hill wasn’t that bad.

I think the biggest problem was that I hadn’t ridden for quite awhile. And I sure as hell hadn’t done any hill climbing in quite some time. After about 5 minutes of contemplating this ‘challenge,’ I twisted the throttle, popped the clutch and away I went.

It was nothing.

All In Your Mind

The problem was all in my mind. After I went up the hill I couldn’t believe I actually contemplated as long as I did. Even as I was watching others do it with no problem. After awhile we were climbing the steepest hills we could find because the first one was getting boring. Then we ended up joining a place that had even more challenging hills and trails.

All because we pushed ourselves outside of our comfort limits.

Going for Black

I’ve always wanted to have a black belt in martial arts but my parents never signed me up and I never really pushed it when I was younger. Then in my upper teens I started taking Tae Kwon Do and stuck with it until I advanced a couple of belts. After awhile my instructor moved and I never found another to keep on learning and advancing.

I got married, had kids, was working and let life get in the way. But I still thought about getting my black belt occasionally. Then one day, realizing I wasn’t going to get any younger, I went to Aikido of Nebraska to inquire about their classes and before I knew it I was signed up. I signed up for multiple reasons. First, I want a black belt for the knowledge and skill to defend myself if need be. Second, it takes discipline to make it that far and I wanted to test myself. I’m still taking the test. Third, it’s a continual challenge.

Never Stop Learning

The first couple of classes were tough. The language was foreign, both figuratively and literally, and it was all new. New people, new environment, new challenges. But, like everything else, if you stick with it it becomes easier and more familiar. But the challenge with Aikido, as with a lot of things, is that just as you start to learn something and get it down, another technique is thrown at you to learn.

That makes you better.

It also holds people back from becoming and doing more. They’re afraid to make mistakes and ‘look’ dumb in front of the other students. It’s the same thing at work too. People are afraid to mess up in front of their coworkers.

But you can’t advance in life if you don’t mess up.

You learn from your mistakes. Or at least you should because now you know what not to do.

The number one rule at Aikido is: show up to class.

Pretty simple isn’t it?

Show up, keep learning and keep trying. It will all come together. But as soon as you quit, that’s it. That’s as good as you’re going to get. And the more familiar you become with anything, the easier it gets.

I could’ve said, “I’m too old,” or “I have too many injuries and ailments,” or the most commonly used excuse for not doing anything to improve your life “I don’t have time.”

It all comes down to what’s important to you. And never giving up on yourself, no matter how big of small the challenge is.

If it’s something that can/will make you better… do it.