It is so important to challenge yourself & step out of your comfort zone. If you want to create change in your life, you have to create change in your choices. In today’s episode, I’m introducing 5 ways you can challenge yourself today, this week and this month.
Plus, I’m doing a giveaway to encourage you to embrace these challenges (with a great attitude!)
To be eligible to win a Thrive Market or Amazon giftcard, you’ll need to do the follow prior to June 15th 2018:
Tag @elizabethbenton in a post of a screenshot of or quote from your favorite Primal Potential podcast episode
Include in the caption the way you successfully challenged yourself for a day or week
In October 2019, our relationship with Thrive Market changed. They decided to put their marketing dollars in avenues outside of podcasting but we still think they’re a good choice if you’re looking to save money on health & personal care products.
To join the wait list for the Fall 2018 12 Weeks to Transformation, please click here.
We’ve been talking a lot lately about this idea of your personal brand and rebranding yourself in a way that raises your performance to a higher standard. In episode 480 I introduced the idea for a Primal Potential rebrand and in episodes 481, 484 and 485 I shared some of my Masters Club clients rebrands.
Those episodes generated a TON of enthusiasm & excitement as well as a bunch of questions. In today’s episode, we’re answering those questions including:
Elizabeth, what’s your brand? What motivates you?
We’ll also tackle on some seemingly unrelated questions about working out, the microbiome and how frequently we indulge.
In October 2019, our relationship with Thrive Market changed. They decided to put their marketing dollars in avenues outside of podcasting but we still think they’re a good choice if you’re looking to save money on health & personal care products.
“It’s difficult for an empty sack to stand upright”
I return to this Ben Franklin quote when I’m feeling weak, unmotivated or frustrated.
If you’d rather listen to this blog than read it, click play. Otherwise, keep reading below.
Think about “standing upright” as those choices you feel you “should” make. Eating well. Minimizing indulgences. Working out. Getting up early. Reducing TV time. Spending less money.
When those choices feel hard or you just not feeling motivated to eat well, move more or be disciplined in your choices, focus on filling yourself up….mentally.
For me, when self-care and self-discipline feels hard, I’m generally not pouring into myself with my thoughts. In Franklin’s words, I’m an “empty sack”.
It’s difficult for an empty sack to stand upright.
We all find ourselves in these moments and when we’re there, the most critical thing is how we respond. You don’t have to fight against yourself and you certainly don’t have to give up or give in.
Fill yourself up. Read. Listen to a motivating podcast. Meditate. Clean your house. Dance to your favorite song. Pray. Journal.
Just realize that you might be running on empty and it’s time to fill yourself up.
Almost every week I have a live Q&A webinar with the clients in my 12 week groups. The questions range a wide variety of topics – nutrition, hormones, stress, negativity, you name it. Last week, someone asked me to talk more about my own personal journey. She asked if I ever had moments of despair and how I handled them.
I shared honestly. Yes, there have been moments of despair. There continue to be moments of despair. There have been huge challenges and small challenges and those struggles continue to this day. Even beyond the word despair – there are hard moments in every day. There are moments and days and weeks when I don’t want to try. There are moments and days & weeks where life feels (or is) very challenging. I suspect that will be the case for the rest of my life (and yours). It’s about how we respond to those moments. It’s about how we choose to behave in those moments.
If you’d rather listen to this blog than read it, please click play. Otherwise, keep reading below.
I will happily share a situation that came up just the other day where I needed to give myself a taste of my own mindset medicine. Before that though, I want to share my general rule of thumb for tough moments:
I don’t make decisions during emotional volatility.
If I’m stressed or angry, I’m not going to make a decision about alcohol or ice cream. I’m not going to respond to an email. I’m going to sit, breathe, reframe and take great care of myself until the storm clears.
I get a million opportunities every week to practice living that standard and making it a habit. Every hard moment is a chance to practice. And sometimes, I need a bit of my own tough love or mindset medicine.
Just the other day, when I was supposed to be sitting and working on my book, I texted my friend. Here’s what I said:
“What is wrong with me? Why do I have a mental block with this? Do I just need to quit?”
He replied, “No. Winners don’t quit”
That wasn’t enough for me. I said, “I feel like I can’t do it. I can’t make it great. I can’t get it organized.”
As I typed those words, I reminded myself:
Can’t lives on won’t street.
What I was really saying in my text was, “I won’t do it. I won’t make it great. I won’t get it organized.” I was choosing to let the obstacles win.
The truth is, I can do it. I can make it great. I can get it organized, if I choose to.
But, that won’t happen when I’m focused on telling myself I can’t.
I don’t have a mental block, though I can certainly create one.
Nothing is wrong with me, though I can convince myself something is.
I am doing it, but I can choose not to.
I can make it great, if I choose to.
Here’s the two biggest tips I can give you for moments of despair, big or small:
Stop convincing yourself of the problem so you can start acting on the solution.
This episode is explicit. This is a real conversation with a client who has struggled with body shame, self-criticism and simply being unkind to herself. While working on a personal rebrand, we have a candid conversation about where she has held her treatment of others to a different standard than the one she has for herself. It’s not right. More than that, it’s taking joy from her life and causing her pain. Most importantly: it’s self-inflicted which means she can create a change right now.
If you are sensitive to strong language, this isn’t the right episode for you. If you’re ready for a bit of fire and truth, take a listen!
