“It’s too heavy”

I am contracted out by a company to train clients at a high end, upscale residency/hotel. This morning I had a client that I have seen a couple of times. In the 3 hour long sessions we have had I have noticed a few trends. One of them being self doubt. For example, she doesn’t know which weights she uses for what exercises and when I suggest one that is more than she usually does she responds with,  “No- it’s too heavy.” When I ask if she has done something before if the answer is “no” then she remarks, “I can’t do that. It’s too hard.” Even in speaking about her own life she comments on, “I mean I am X years old. I can’t do that.”

So today at our session I had a little talk with her about how she needs to have more self belief and the fact that she needs to realize her power. I told her that I think it’s important she looks at herself for her accomplishments and celebrates them. And I told her that she needs to set goals, achieve them and then set bigger ones. Later in our session she blew through a set at a light that was obviously too light for her. When I asked if she wanted to go up in weight she responded, “Yea it was light but the 10s are heavy!” I insisted. She did her set and remarked after completing less reps that she had with the lighter weights that it was heavy. But you know what, next set when I asked her if she wanted the 5s or the 10s she chose the 10s. She recognized her power and she took it. She saw that she could do it and she did. I gave her the opportunity to choose for herself and she chose to do more.

She did 5 more pounds- what’s the big deal? The big deal is that we set barriers for ourselves and others every day. We see someone else doing something and instead of thinking, “I want to do that too!” we think “Woah- that is intense. I could never.” We have been conditioned to have doubt. To be fearful. I encourage you to turn it around and be persistent. Be courageous. Henry Ford stated that, “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t you’re right.” Let that sink in.

I am proud of who I am and the person that I have become because the old me wouldn’t have had the confidence nor the awareness to speak from the place that I did. I hadn’t recognized my power. I was thinking from a place of “I can’t” verses “I can.” And I was right. So I turned it around. When I see something now I think, “I can do that too.” So I start working towards it and you know what- I see that I can. And you can too.