Sunday, July 04, 2010
With each passing day of the Tour de France, I watch in awe as some of the most amazing athletes in the world grace the television screen. I keep asking myself, “How do these guys do it?” ”How do they stay motivated to train, diet, and push themselves beyond their self-perceived human limits?” As I pondered these questions, I realized the key to staying engaged with life means staying hungry for life.
Each of the Tour de France participants has this hunger that drives them up one unbelievable huge hill after another. When we lose our hunger for life, we become apathetic. We no longer push ourselves to new limits. We no longer challenge ourselves to tackle the toughest hills. Instead, we may just coast along at an easy pace, barely pedaling as life passes us by.
How does one stay hungry for life? By setting new goals, taking on new challenges, and being open to new experiences. All of these things may bring about a certain level of discomfort, but we need this discomfort to propel us forward and keep us engaged with life. When we become too comfortable in life, we stop growing. We lose our appetite. We sleepwalk through life until one day we wake-up and realize we aren’t living the life we imagined.
When clients contact me because they are feeling depressed or apathetic about life, I encourage them to assess their lives and figure out what changes need to be made in order to ignite passion within. Often our passion dies when we aren't engaged with activities that challenge us, spur our creativity, or force us to grow. Living a passionate life makes us excited to jump out of bed in the morning. A coworker once remarked that I seemed, "high on life." My secret: PASSION!
Get out there and engage with the world! You may be surprised what you learn about yourself.
Colleen Canney is a Career, Life, and Wellness Coach based in Seattle, WA. She coaches clients around the world both in-person and via telephone. For a FREE consultation, contact Colleen via email at colleencanney@live.com or visit her webiste at www.colleencanney.com.