I just recently moved to a new state and while for some making such a big move can be stressful especially when starting a whole new career for me however it was a breath of fresh air. Being in a new place and having to create a new routine and take advantage of different opportunities reminded me how I was neglecting this blog. I hadn’t been writing because while I had a list of topics I also had a terrible case of writers block. Far too often we become too comfortable in our own space. We form our routine and we get stuck in our head of where we need to be and exactly how we want to do it. Sometimes the way we want to do is determined simply by how we’ve always done it. When we stay in that same space all the time we restrict ourselves from growing to our full potential. Whether we define this space as our location, our team, our job, or just the daily routine that we do to practice our craft; to grow we have to sometimes force ourselves to go to a new space, force ourselves to re-energize.
A few years ago I was stuck in a routine that was day in and day out the exact same thing and no matter what I tried I was completely uninspired. Don’t get me wrong I was successful and quiet content with my life but I felt stagnant. I took a jump and on a whim moved half way across the country and discovered passions I never knew I had. Two years ago I had a job that I was constantly learning from and really thought I was growing with but a difference in morals forced me to quit, I left a job and soon was able to start a career that I couldn’t be more in love with. Now not every move you take has to be so dramatic, for me I find satisfaction and new inspiration just from going to work out a different gym, taking a brand new class or even seeing a new instructor for the first time. Sometimes I try a new coffee spot or restaurant or sit with someone new at lunch.
I get it, by this point you are rolling your eyes because you are completely content with how everything is going and couldn’t imagine a change that needs to be made. I ask you this however, what do you have to lose? With my athletes I always challenge them to do just one thing between sessions that is outside of the box, or their comfort zone and see where it takes them. It can be getting to know a new teammate or a coach on a different level, the order they practice, their workout routine, or for one week meditate every morning. For example when I lived in Austin I was coaching a girls’ volleyball team, the season started off great but as season went on and life happened I begin to see the twinkle in their eyes fade away. Volleyball wasn’t their stress relief anymore it was just another task they had to do every day. My solution was to take them out of their space, for one day I took them out of their space. They walked in the gym and I immediately took them outside, gave them random numbers for teams and we played soccer for 30 minutes or so. I let them just play, with no pressure of winning or losing or worrying about starting or dad’s side comments , they just got to play. What happened next? We went back in the gym and I saw them stop making silly little mistakes, they hit a little harder and communicated better and most importantly I saw them play like they loved the game. Sounds crazy for just a few minutes of practice but the reality is, they just needed a change.
I challenge you all to step out of your space and open yourself to being refreshed, re-energized and re-inspired because even making the smallest temporary step can change your perspective and increase your success.
A. B. mentality 