Try Something New and Overcome Fears

Have you ever had a desire to try something different but the fear of the obstacles you may face or the fear of failure made you feel that maybe it wasn’t worth trying?  Last year, I felt like I really needed to start expanding my knowledge about fitness and nutrition.  Sure, I research information all the time, but other than the few courses I took in college (Body For Life, Weight Lifting, etc.) I haven’t had much “formal training”.  I decided it was time to change that, but I was nervous.  I did some asking around in different forums and decided on the NASM [National Academy of Sports Medicine] Certified Personal Trainer [CPT] program.  Making that decision was exciting and scary at the same time. 

Taking on this course required hours and hours of study, quizzes, tests and assignments. There were definitely times that I questioned my decision and wondered, “Have I lost too many brain cells as a Mom of three to retain all this information?  Have I been out of school too long?  Will I be good enough?”   But, I kept at it.  I poured over the fundamentals of human movement science (muscular skeletal, cardiorespiratory and nervous systems.  I practiced assessments, training concepts and program design.  I learned about flexibility training, nutrition, lifestyle modification and behavioral coaching. 

I’m so grateful to my wonderful little family.  My husband and children were so supportive during those long hours of study.  My kids would point at different places on their bodies and ask, “What’s this muscle, Mommy?  What does it do?”  My husband willingly performed assessment after assessment so I could practice.  They helped me juggle my home responsibilities so that I could take this time to expand my knowledge and grow.  There were a few challenging study sessions but their support helped me overcome my fears to TRY!

On December 8^th, 2014 I nervously entered the testing center at Idaho State University not quite sure what to expect of the final certification exam and praying that I would not forget everything.  I left the testing center with a smile and a paper that said, PASSED!  (It’s a pass/fail test, you either did it or you didn’t, hence the nerves.)  I felt so relieved, excited and grateful.  I’m now starting the Weight Loss Specialist certification course and I can’t wait to learn more.

I’m grateful that I allowed myself to take this opportunity for growth and development.  There’s still so much to learn but by giving myself the chance to overcome my fear of possible failure, I feel like now I can take on anything!  Why not?  Why can’t I try something new?  Why can’t you? Whatever it is in your life that you have been scared to try, do it!  Get out there and give it a shot!  So, what if you fail at first?  Get up and try again...and again...and again.  What are you waiting for?  What is the thing that scares you?  Embrace it and see where it leads!

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