Exhaustion and exhilaration. Those two words describe how I feel every time I finish an Orangetheory Fitness (OTF) workout. That is also how I describe what it feels like as you pursue a God-size dream and live out who you were meant to be. You are exhausted because this big dream takes work, it’s not a simple snap of the finger from you or some fairy Godmother and poof your dream becomes a reality. Rather it requires your time, your effort and your energy. However at the end of the day after having pushed your dream one step closer into existence you fall on your bed completely spent, but with a smile on your face knowing you did your best and you are excited that after a brief rest you get to take another step forward tomorrow.
Not only does the OTF workout remind me of how we should feel as we pursue our God-size dreams, but it also serves to showcase three key insights that we should practice as we leap into our dreams.
#1- Make a daily Choice
Now I would love to tell you that when my alarm clock startles me out of a deep sleep, I immediately jump out of bed and say “I am so excited to go workout.” The truth is here is how most days go for me and maybe you can relate. My alarm clock goes off and it takes me a few minutes to actually realize what that sound is because I swear even though I am the one who choose the music on my phone it still catches me off guard. After I silence what I thought would be inspirational wake up music, but at this point is more irritating than anything I roll over and it begins. Before my feet hit the floor I have to face a battle with the voice within, which I call my dream vampire, because it wants to suck the life out of my dream and me. The dream vampire sounds something like this. “This is crazy, why am I waking up so flipping early? Even the sun isn’t awake yet. I didn’t really sleep well, so maybe I should skip today? Sleep is important you know. The rest of my family gets to sleep in, why shouldn’t I get to too? Plus no one will really care if I don’t show up. There are plenty of people in the class. My stomach doesn’t feel the greatest, what if I puke in class? My muscles are still sore from the last workout.” After about thirty seconds of this chatter, okay maybe more like a couple of minutes of listening to the dream vampire, I have learned to ask myself one question, “which option will get me closer to the life I desire?” Essentially it is about reflecting on which choice will lead to joy and to my ultimate dream. Even though that question doesn’t completely squelch the dream vampire, I now have a choice.
Do I listen to the dream vampire voice and roll over and go back to sleep or listen to the dream champion voice who is saying to me get up, get dressed and get out the door because this will move you one step closer? Which voice are you listening to as you pursue your dream?
People ask me the biggest barrier to experiencing endless joy in life and I simply answer YOU. Now don’t get me wrong other things can definitely influence your level of joy, but the person who influences it the most is the voice within you that you are listening to. What choice do you need to make today to feel joy, to feel exhaustion and exhilaration as you make your dream happen?
#2- Embrace the Challenges
As you enter into the OTF facility it can be a little intimidating and overwhelming as you see a row of treadmills, a line of rowers and a space filled with weights, balls and other contraptions which I had no idea what they were when I first started. As you have stepped out in faith to pursue your big dream or are considering stepping out in faith have you ever felt like you didn’t know what you were doing or had no clue what the next step was? I know I have definitely felt that way at times. I 100% believe though that “if your dream doesn’t challenge you, it can’t change you.” Our goal in life no matter what our dream is, is not to stay the same person we are, but rather to transform into more of who we were created to be. Our dreams should be a little intimidating and overwhelming, but that doesn’t mean we give up rather that means it’s time to get in the gym or the dream arena. We need to embrace the challenges and know that we will be better not in spite of them but because of them.
The other thing that OTF does to challenge participants other than spice up the workout with different routines is to have participants focus on using a five-zone heart rate in order to push themselves outside their comfort zone. They want participants to get into the orange zone, hence the name of the company. The same is true with our dreams. We cannot make them happen while we stay in our comfort zone, we must be willing to step out into the orange zone or what I call the courage zone. In the courage zone, like the orange zone we are going to be a little bit breathless, we will definitely be sweating, but the lasting effects from operating in this zone will far outweigh what we could have achieved if we had stayed in our comfort zone. What challenge do you need to face today in order to move one step closer to your dream? What zone are you operating in as you face this challenge?
Side note: Once you walk through the doors into your OTF workout, your focus becomes using three stages to get the most of your workout experience- push, all out and recovery. Now as we pursue our dream I have seen a lot individuals go from the good kind of exhaustion to total burnout. I believe that’s because they only have focused on the first two stages push and all out. It is important that you take time to recover, to refuel yourself and renew your energy. Your dream cannot come true without the best YOU. As you make your dream happen and embrace the challenges don’t forget to refresh your mind, body and soul.
#3- Connect with a Coach
You are never alone as you workout at OTF. Not only do you have your fellow workouters (not sure if that’s a word, but let’s go with it.) You also have a coach who guides you, encourages you and demonstrates proper form. In these past two years, I have been able to take my business to a whole new level of clients, of income, of reach all because I have connected with coaches who have helped to activate my dream. I have connected to mindset coaches, business coaches, workout coaches and of course the ultimate coach for me is the daily coaching I get from God.
There is an African proverb that says, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” You don’t have to make your dream happen on your own. Stop trying to figure it out all on your own. Reach out and connect with someone who although we won’t do the work for you, we will walk beside you cheering you on, challenging you with tough questions, contributing our expertise and correcting you when needed.
Are you ready to stop being a solo dreamer and are you ready to go far? Are you ready to leap into your dream? Then say YES and invest in yourself today by joining us for our Dreamers Leap Retreat in Scottsdale, AZ in January 25-27, 2019. At this 2 ½ day retreat we will examine the choices you are making, the challenges you are facing as you step into your dream and the creative ways you can say YES to you! For more information or to register go to: www.dawnkaiser.com/dreamersretreat
As kids we endlessly told the banana and orange knock knock joke, which ended with the punch line “Orange you glad I didn’t say banana.” Well Orange you glad you now have plan to pursue your dream…make a daily choice, embrace the challenges and connect with a coach. I promise you these three practices will radically change your life, I know they have changed mine!
