My husband loves to ride bikes, all types, mountain bikes, dirt bikes, and road bikes. Me not so much; while most people spent their youth riding bikes to and from a friend’s house and racing down hills, I spent my time trying to improve my back-handspring on a 4inch wide high beam. In other words, when it comes to a sport that involves performing using equipment it’s not my specialty. I have a mountain bike and tried to ride it twice. Let’s just say the only thing I could think about the entire time was crashing into a tree. Next, I tried tackling a road bike. First time riding, it was someone else’s road bike, too big for me and on top of that I had to use clip-less pedals. If you don’t know what this means, it’s sort of ironic. You wear shoes that actually clip onto the pedal. So in order to get your foot off the pedal, you have to twist out of them. Yeah, it was pretty scary for me; I had a mini anxiety attack with the whole situation. Once my feet were locked into those pedals, I was committed to that bike.
So I am not very good at riding bikes. But, the reason why I am trying is because I want to know what it feels like to step out of my comfort zone. This way I can relate to more people who feel uncomfortable lifting heavy weights, or sprinting, or working out, or sweating 🙂 Most people would say they can’t or wont’ do something because they just aren’t good at it. Well of course you aren’t, you never practice it. No one is born being good at everything, no one is born perfect. Even the best athletes in the world practice, they don’t just wake up one day an Olympic Gold medalist. They put in minutes, hours, days, years trying to “perfect” their skills. Improving skills takes practice, plain and simple. Sure, no one likes to do things they aren’t good at, but in the end, when you step out of your comfort zone and practice the skill, you end up enjoying it.
I don’t believe practice makes perfect, because nothing in this world is perfect. But I do believe practice makes you better. Try something for a good solid 8 weeks. If you hate every single minute of it, then don’t do it. But, if there is some good, some light, and some part of it you think you might enjoy then keep going! Sometimes that is all it takes, a small little glimpse of light at the end of the tunnel.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR OF THIS POST:
HYLA CONRAD
“Fear defeats more people than any other one thing in the world”-Ralph Waldo Emerson. Hyla Conrad is a self-motivated WBFF Pro and lives by these words. Fearless in her competing and training, she holds nothing back. Hyla learned that success comes from eating clean, training like an athlete, and having a positive attitude. She started fitness at a young age and grew up training in gymnastics, cheerleading, and track and field. She believes a positive body image and healthy mental attitudes are crucial to a woman’s happiness and wellness. Her upbeat positive attitude shines through everything she does- from cooking clean meals to share with her husband, playing with her beloved dog Max, and stepping onstage for her next competition, that positive shine keeps on getting brighter.
