13 Words That May Help Change Your Life
If you’re like many people, you don’t like venturing far outside your comfort zone. The question is: what exactly counts as your comfort zone? It varies from person to person. For some, jumping out of a plane at 25,000 feet, climbing a mountain, or hanging in a shark cage is thrilling. I’ll pass on all of that. But comfort zones aren’t only about life-or-death feats. For some, stepping out could be something as simple and ordinary as saying hello to a stranger or learning to say no. For example: No, I don’t want the extended warranty. No, I don’t want dessert. No, I won’t kiss you. The point is this: what feels normal to you might feel like a nightmare to someone else—like being on stage in your underwear in front of a crowd.
The big lesson for personal and career growth is the same: everyone should push themselves to step outside their zone.
My Comfort Zone(s)
I’m not immune to this message. If you’d asked me in 2002–2003, when I was a personal trainer in Syracuse, NY, if I’d move to Connecticut to work with someone I’d met online, I would have laughed. I would have made a goofy face and laughed again. Yet I knew I was getting too comfortable and needed a real push to progress, so I did it. I packed up and moved to Connecticut. The person I joined forces with wasn’t a creep from Craigslist; I’d known him for years through fitness sites and forums. He was a trainer at a gym in Ridgefield, CT and mentioned they needed someone else. He helped convince me to take the leap. It wasn’t easy and it was the biggest step outside my comfort zone I’d ever taken—bigger than the time I took my ex-girlfriend to see The Notebook.
I could tell more about other factors, but the bottom line is: it worked out.
I could share plenty of other past examples, too.
Writing and the path forward
I wasn’t born to write. Five years into my career, I realized writing could help me reach more people than training one-on-one would. I felt I had a lot to say and could help more people through writing. So I started a random blog that a handful of people read, then began submitting articles to fitness sites for free. That led to a break with T-Nation and opened doors to other reputable publications. I still don’t call myself a full-time writer. I’m a strength coach who can write clearly about complex topics, sprinkled with pop culture references. Infotainment, if you like.
I worked at it. When I started dating my wife in 2009, she’d tell you I’d complain about writing a blog post. Five hundred words felt like a chore. After 1,700 blog posts and countless articles, 500 words no longer feels daunting.
One of my favorite authors, Steven Pressfield, wrote Turning Pro. In one passage, he describes the moment he “turned pro”—the point at which you stop bullshitting yourself and sit down to do the work. I could relate then, and I still can. That’s what stepping outside your comfort zone is all about.
Public speaking and presenting
If you’d told me as a teenager or in the early days of my career that I’d travel the world speaking about scapulohumeral rhythm and squat assessment, I wouldn’t have believed it. When we moved to Boston and opened Cressey Sports Performance, things started moving faster. My first speaking gig was terrifying; I woke up sick to my stomach. My wife, Lisa, helped me work through it, and I did it. It wasn’t pretty, but I did it. I still don’t consider myself a great public speaker, but I’m adequately engaging, and I can spread my message to more people and fitness professionals along the way. Stepping outside my comfort zone has made me better.
So what’s the point?
I’ve been getting a steady stream of emails from young and aspiring fitness pros asking for career advice—how to get more clients, how to stand out, and how to improve. Some worry about working in a commercial gym because they feel like just a number. Here’s the reality: you won’t be working with pro athletes and celebrities on day one. It’s not all rainbows and butterfly kisses. It’s great to work with pros, but it comes with its own challenges.
I believe every new trainer should spend at least one to two years in a commercial gym. That’s the best way to be exposed to a wide variety of people and personalities and to actually get better—assuming you want to get better. You’ll be pushed outside your comfort zone, again and again.
Some people ask about changing careers altogether—leaving a current job to pursue fitness full-time. Stepping outside your comfort zone can be the perfect opportunity, but it’s daunting. I’m not saying you should quit today and chase something reckless. Consider finding a mentor or an observational internship to test the waters, or take a cautious leap if you’re convinced this is right for you.
As my good friend and fellow trainer Todd Bumgardner once said: “Scare the shit out of yourself. It’s the only way to do it.” Those 13 words resonated with me, and I wish I’d heard them a decade ago.
What will you do?
And no jokes about underwear. We’re talking real risk-taking here. I stuck with it for five years before I wrote my first article or trained my first pro athlete. It wasn’t instant success, but it was possible with time and effort.
I did it for five years, and I didn’t write my first article or train my first professional athlete until year six. Just saying.
