Why Giving Yourself A Shock Is A Good Thing

“Shock the muscle!”  is what Arnold Schwarzenegger says is the secret to growing big muscles.

Of course, there’s all the training, nutrition, discipline, and science behind that statement.  Disregard these at your own risk.

Yet, when done and supported correctly, do so at your own reward.

When I first started doing push-ups, or lifting weights at they gym, my body would be painful and sore days after my workout.

But in the next workouts, I would be able to lift heavier weights, feel stronger and lighter.  I would continue to lose weight, build muscle, and lift heavier weights.

Until the point came when I couldn’t.

I kept doing the same exercise, or even lifting slightly heavier weights, and I would not see a big, noticeable effect.

My body just got used to what I was doing.  And I didn’t like it.

Why is it good to give yourself a shock?  To face your fears and discomforts?

 

Forced adaptation.

The human’s ability to adapt is truly a wondrous thing.  You’ll find people managing to live and survive in both the coldest mountains, and the hottest deserts.  That’s how adaptable and strong we are.

People ability to adapt isn’t only for the physical aspect, but for the emotional and spiritual, as well.  This is why people learn to live and survive in dysfunctional families, and abusive relationships, where it makes no sense to stay.

Giving ourselves a shock forces us to level up, and challenges us to overcome the challenge brought before us.

I remember when I was starting to do exercise, the skin on my palms and fingers weren’t as strong, and I had blisters and pain on my hands for some time.

Until the skin hardened, and adapted to the new level of physical activity that I was doing.

Or when I had to leave home, to teach in a dorm school in the mountains, far from family and friends, and all the comforts I knew.

After a few months, I got so comfortable in the mountains, living a simple life, that I actually was afraid to go back.

I had overcome the initial shock, and adapted to what was challenging me.

And adapting to overcome the shock, is one way to grow quickly.  The underlying message here is one of survival:

“If I don’t overcome and adapt, I’ll die.”

It’s that simple.  Live or lose.  Adapt or die.  The law of nature.

Constant comfort can be a curse.  It will only serve to limit us.

Take advantage of that transformative power that we have been given.

 

Get used to handling sudden changes.

Change is the only thing constant in this world.  And being calm, in the face of uncertainty, is one skill that leads to our success.

You don’t really know what tomorrow will hold, with complete certainty, and getting used to handling sudden changes, helps to keep you on track, and moving forward despite challenges.

This used to be pretty hard for me, especially when I was the one deciding what I would do, and how I would reach my goals.

One way I trained myself to overcome the shocks and get used to handling sudden changes, is to take cold showers, early in the morning.

No hot water, no warm-up, and straight-up cold water.  You feel awake, your pores open, and your awareness shoots from 0 to 60, just. like. that.

My mentor also had another way of training me to handle sudden changes.  Whenever we would hold a workshop, it was a requirement that we all knew the material as well, because our mentor would just suddenly call us out to explain certain parts of the material being taught.

Imagine my shock the first time that happened.  I fumbled my way through.

But it slowly built my confidence to face an audience.

It taught me to think fast, and figure out what was crucial in the seconds following what I needed to do.

Not everything’s going to go according to plan.

But if you keep your focus, you’ll still get to your goal.

 

Stimulates creativity.

Giving yourself a shock can break you out of a rut, and stimulate creativity, from the different feelings, challenges, and situations it can present you.

It can be as simple as doing something that you’re afraid of, something new, or changing up your daily routine.

A shock, surprising and challenging situations, also pushes you to think of solutions and ways for you to adapt and overcome them, and for you to find in yourself the resources to accomplish what you originally thought was not possible.

Creativity is also about feeling safe and relaxed in the environment, yet still pushing you to the edge of your comfort zone, and growing your capacity to be relaxed and calm amidst uncertainty.

I’ve had a lot of ideas during the times I felt relaxed, and during the times I was cramming and felt pushed by a deadline.

But I had the best ideas when I knew I had a deadline, yet I was still composed and relaxed, with full faith that I would be able to produce what was needed to succeed.

Case in point: this article.

Change up the way you do things, and keep looking for new experiences and situations.

 

Get over fear.

This is a big one.

Most of the time, we like to take things slow and easy because we’re afraid of what will happen.

We might fail.

We might get injured.

We might get rejected.

We might look like a fool.

We might come up short.

Yet that’s all fear.  That’s what we’re thinking, while we still haven’t done anything.

It’s like standing on the edge of a cliff.

You’re full of fear on the edge, but once you step off, the fear gets replaced by other feelings.

Feelings such as, “What do I need to do?”, “How do I survive?”

And, “It wasn’t so hard at all.”

No, it could’ve been hard.

You just overcame the shock.

 

Give yourself a shock.

By challenging yourself to do things you didn’t think possible.

By redefining what you think you can or can’t do.

By plunging headfirst into situations you’ve been afraid of for so long.

Trust in your capabilities.

Overcome your self-doubt.

Believe in your ability to adapt and overcome.

You might just shock yourself.

 

How have you grown from a shock you’ve experienced?  Please share in the comments below!