Comfort Zones

As a full-time teacher, I get a pretty good glimpse of our future and the differences between my generation and future generations. One of the alarming differences with our kids today is their inability to handle challenges. I understand that things are different now than they were 20-30 years ago but I definitely see that we can't afford to neglect passing on some of the important lessons we were taught as kids. One of those lessons that our kids need is the lesson of being uncomfortable and how to handle it.

Recently I had a 16 year old student refuse to walk home, although he had already been given permission from his parents, because he thought the walk was too far and it might make his feet hurt. I ask more questions as to where he lived and it was just under 3 miles. This student chose to wait 4 hours before his parents could pick him up rather than take a 3 mile walk on a beautiful 60 degree day that would probably have taken him less than an hour.

Life is not always going to be La-Z-Boys and video games. How do we expect ourselves or our kids to handle life's challenges if we don't train outside of our comfort zones? I believe exercise is one of those ways that we can train our kids with how to handle being uncomfortable. Before long, we can actually become comfortable with being uncomfortable.

I recently starting my own children on a workout program. What was interesting is that while they were uncomfortable temporarily during the workout, they had a since of pride and accomplishment when the workout was over. They are always asking when they get to workout again. I can't help but think that they will handle life's challenges better than had they not learned to leave their comfort zones.

My advice: Take the stairs sometimes. Park further away from the door. Hand-wash your car every once in a while. And when you workout, get comfortable with being uncomfortable.