This morning I decided to take the lovely Mishka (my hubby’s husky) with me on my morning run.

As always when running with Mishka, it was a ‘painful’ yet extremely rewarding experience.

Painful, because having Mishka on the run means the following:

• I don’t get to just be comfortable (as she darts to and from, especially at the start, with excitement of what’s to come)
• I develop a stitch less than half-way into the run (and normally I don’t even have a stitch at all)
• My lungs are burning – like on fire – as I become out of breath like never before.

But it is also rewarding, as I get home and realise…

• I just ran the exact same route as per normal, but I did it 10 minutes faster than usual (who knew THAT could be done)
• My face is actually red all over, which is a physical sign of having stepped thing up
• I just elevated my vibe, my mood, my energy and hence my productivity and outcomes for the day x100.

WHY the pain?
WHY the reward…?

Because that is what having a coach and or a mentor is all about.

They CHALLENGE you to step up. They SUPPORT you in stepping up. They CELEBRATE with you when you’ve stepped up.

But is it NOT easy – if it were, everyone would be engaging in high level premium coaching / mentoring programs – it is definitely not for the faint hearted.

You need to be willing to….

– feel the pain
– do things differently AKA get out of your comfort zone
– invest your emotional energy into doing what is hard
– invest your time into doing what is important rather than just urgent

Basically, you need to be willing to have skin in the game. Without it, nothing will change. You will just stay in your comfortable zone. Cruising. Which is perfectly fine if that is what you want.

But if what you want is:

* growth
* expansion
* choice* freedom
* and purposeful living

…then cruising is not going to cut it.

Pick up the leash. Attach it to your coach / mentor of choice….

….and enjoy the ride 🙂

It is going to take your breath away!