The First Challenge

You will do more than you ever thought possible when the reward of "doing" surpasses the comfort of status quo.

I saw a perfect example of this when I watched the season premier of The Biggest Loser. As soon as the teams (made up of couples) got to the ranch, they immediately had a challenge.

They had not met Jillian or Bob. They hadn't been to their rooms. They hadn't had a chance to meet and talk with each other. Instead, they went straight to the gym and, as a team, were told that they had to ride 26.2 miles on a stationary bike.

Now, all of the contestants were morbidly obese. Several men weighed over 400 pounds, and one weighed over 500 pounds. These were people who hadn't walked a slow mile in years - maybe decades. So the idea of pedaling that long seemed impossible.

I could almost hear the excuses and doubt playing in their heads at that moment:

• I haven't ridden a bike in years
• I can't ride that long
• I'm too big
• I'm not strong enough
• This is too much
• This is too hard

But then the host, Alison Sweeney, said something that changed everything.  She informed them that the 2 teams that finished the bike ride last would have to immediately leave the ranch and return home.

The look on the contestants face suddenly changed. The doubt turned to determination. The excuses went from "I can't" to "I must". The idea of being sent home on the first day they arrived at the ranch became their driving force. The reward (staying at the ranch) became stronger the status quo (or the excuses).

The contestants climbed on those bikes and pushed through the pain, the discomfort, the sweat, the cramps, and that little seat, to get the reward they so desperately wanted - the opportunity to stay in the game and change their life.  While 2 teams did go home, every person did more than they ever thought possible.

What about you? What are willing to do to stay in the game and change your life? When will you see that the rewards of reaching your goals and having the life - and the lifestyle - you want is worth breaking out of your status quo.

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Doreen Rainey is a Life Coach and Speaker who helps her clients Get RADICAL! For a FREE 30 day membership to the RADICAL Lifestyle Women's Network or to subscribe to her bi-weekly newsletter, visit her website. Join Doreen in the Washington, DC area for the 2010 Get RADICAL Women's Conference featuring Jillian Michaels, Fitness Trainer from The Biggest Loser and Rhonda Britten, Emmy Winner Life Coach from Starting Over and Celebrity Fit Club.