For some time now I have been a keen runner, typically covering 5-6 miles at a time, 3-4 times a week. Hardly marathon distances, but enough to pose a challenge to those like me who enjoy moderate fitness. Around 18 months ago when we moved home, I had to find a new running route, which was quite enjoyable given the surroundings of the Suffolk countryside. I settled on my route and continued to increase my distance along said route sightly each day until I came to a t-junction.
Now this T-junction seemed like a sensible place to stop and turn around whenI first reached it, so that is exactly what I did. I then proceeded to run this same route (and stop at the same t-junction) for the next 12 months. While I always set out with good intentions to go further, by the time I reached the t-junction, my mind would say “right, we have made it, time to go home”.
You see the human brain is designed to find solutions to problems. When it finds a solution to a problem, it remembers this solution and this information can be re-called whenever the same problem is encountered. Before too long, this solution has become a habit. It is this same function that makes it very difficult to push past our ‘comfort zone’, whether in business, sport or life. The problem is that while the solution you came up with before might have solved the problem, it may not have done so in the best or most efficient way. For this reason it is important to push past these mental barriers and carry on.
I did just that this morning. After weeks of trying, I finally turned right at the t-junction, and carried on my run for another 1/2 mile. It turns out, it wasn’t so bad after all!
