Challenges Make You Unstoppable
When I was in the third grade, I had a teacher I will never forget. Whenever we started whining about an assignment being too tough, she would always say, "It builds character."
Back then, I didn't know what character was and if I had to do more homework to get it, I didn't want any of it. I didn't want life to be challenging. I wanted life to be easy.
As I got older, I started to admire people who did challenging things. I wanted to be like them. And today, believe it or not, I actually get bored when life starts getting too easy.
I've been a professional speaker since 2002. When you're in the speaking business, you start running into people who have done some pretty amazing things, climbed mountains, sailed around the world, explored jungles or even gone to the North or South Poles.
Talking to these people got me thinking about how much fun and challenging it would be to do some of those things. Especially since my athletic career is coming to an end.
So a couple of years ago I started doing things that challenged me to dig deep.
Two years ago, I hired some guides and climber Mt. Rainier. Wow! That was an adventure. Last year I flew to Spain with my good friend Greg Reid and we ran with the bulls in Pamplona. Later that year, I was speaking in South Africa and decided to go skydiving. What a blast that was!
And this year I got to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro and go on a four day safari.
I thoroughly research each trip and take experienced guides with me to reduce the risk. But even so, all of these adventures push me to face fears and to challenge myself to go beyond my comfort zone.
Why is that important? Because just like my teacher said, challenges build character. Every time you challenge yourself, you become stronger. Your self-belief skyrockets, and you are transformed into a better you.
Now, when life hits you with a challenge that would discourage anyone else, You're not even fazed because you know that if you could do all those other things and succeed, you have what it takes to get over this challenge too.
It's all about knowing in your heart that you know, that you know, that you have what it takes to overcome anything life throws at you. It's becoming unstoppable...
Make it an Olympic Day!
Ruben Gonzalez is a four-time Olympian, a bestselling business author and an award-winning keynote speaker. Ruben will turn your next meeting into an Olympic event you will never forget. For information on how to bring him to your next event, visit PremiereSpeakers.com/Ruben_Gonzalez.
