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As a physical therapist, one of the main parts of my job is the get my patients strong so they can return to function at home, at work, and in sports. Sparing you all the physiologic details of the process, the basics to build and strengthen a muscle involve giving it a workload that is neither too easy and does not stress the muscle fibers, nor one the it is not too hard which breaks down too much of the muscle causing more dysfunction. In the overload case, the recovery time will be too long and the patient will regress usually with swelling and significant pain and mentally, they will feel defeated and be less likely to push themselves again. Ideally, it is a balance of adequate stress load or workload that activates a mid-range muscle breakdown repair cycle that works the best to build strength on a consistent basis. As the repair occurs inside the muscle, the fibers get a little stronger each week. You probably know the experience of exercising and feeling like you did nothing versus the one where you totally overdid it and were extremely sore for several days. It is somewhere in that middle of those two extremes where you get of about a day or two of temporary soreness that someone is exercising in a good range to build muscle and improve strength without adding harm or injury.
The funny thing is that life works exactly the same way as our muscles do. When we don’t push through the edges of our various comfort zones, we don’t grow, and we stay weak in those areas. Â At work, businesses don’t grow by staying status quo. They grow by taking calculated risks and stepping up to learn new things and implementing them at a consistent, progressive level. Let’s say for example, you wanted to be a successful public speaker. Would you start by giving a speech to the massive stadium crowd at the opening ceremonies of the summer Olympics? Of course not, you would probably die of heart failure and anxiety before that happened anyway. You would begin by taking the step to stand up and speak with a small group first, then build your strength step by step from there.
Likewise, your health doesn’t improve when you keep eating the same way as you always have. Trying different diets to lose weight by starving yourself doesn’t give you health either. It simply gives you another go around to regain those pounds to be on yet another diet. You have to get healthy first to lose the weight. You have to push yourself out of your old mental conditioning and eating habits. Yes, it will feel uncomfortable in the beginning, but the strength and energy you give your cells by feeding them plant-based foods like kale, spinach, broccoli, etc., rich in phytonutrients, on a daily basis will change everything in your body, including your weight for good.
And certainly, relationships don’t grow and develop when you just play it safe either. In fact, relationships don’t even get started unless you push yourself and  step out of your comfort zone to risk a little time, a little generosity, and a little vulnerability and intimacy to connect with others. The strength of the relationship builds as you water it with candor and accountability too. This is where authenticity truly meets authenticity and strong bonds are made.
So where are you at this week? What area in life do you need to push a little more to get stronger? Set your fears aside and go for it! —Traci Vincent
One thing I’ve noticed that really impacts my day, for the better or the worse, is how I talk to myself. No, I’m not saying I talk out loud to myself, but rather referring to that inner voice or inner critic that can certainly work overtime sometimes in my life. Maybe, you have dealt with this same thing?
the individual’s personal confidence. Personal confidence is the driving force behind a person’s action towards accomplishing their endeavors. Granted, there are plenty of factors that can determine a person’s outcome while pursuing their own goals, however without mental confidence, you can’t even begin to think about achieving your goals or aspirations, let alone take action. Here are three important features that make personal confidence a must:
It seems that as we age, we begin to take on more of a safety mindset.  We guard our money. We guard our homes. We guard our habits. We guard our bodies. We guard our possessions. We guard our children. We even guard our ideas and our creativity. We play it safe in so many areas of life. Of course, caring for all these areas is very important. However, as this safety mindset expands, we slowly stop taking risks in life and we begin to operate from a  fear mentality. This presents itself in thoughts such as: “How can I protect my investments in this economy?” What alarm or surveillance system should I buy to protect my home? How do I protect my children against child molesters or internet predators? Before long, fear becomes our master instead of creative solutions.
Like so many people today, I once was lost in a mental state of victim-hood. I lived with a heavy heart and was immersed in negative feelings which manifested quite frankly into alot of illnesses. Many of those illnesses were a direct reflection of my inner struggle and it was made true in my outer world. Wayne Dyer writes: “If you put the seed of failure into the subconscious and feed it with feeling that way, it will reproduce failure. If you plant the seed of disease into your subconscious mind by feeling this way in your body, it will augment disease for you. If you plant the seed of misery into your subconscious mind by feeling miserable, it will cultivate and produce misery for you.”   
