May Your Inner Game Be With You

Maybe it?s because it?s getting cold out or maybe I just have an inner Roger Ebert circa 1977 waiting to burst out of me, but I?ve been watching a lot of old movies lately. If you read my fitness article from last week, you?d know that I recently watched ?Rocky.?

Use the Force

Well, this week I treated myself to another American movie classic from around the same era, ?Star Wars.? (Okay, so I watched all six movies in chronological order, but that?s beside the point). Watching Luke Skywalker transition from a lowly farm boy into a Death Star-destroying pilot got me thinking about something: the inward benefits of putting oneself into outwardly uncomfortable and unfamiliar situations.

Admission of unhipness: I am not the life of the party, never have been.

I?m much more inclined to occupy a booth at a diner for several hours with a few friends discussing the merits of various Guns ?N Roses records on a Friday night than I am to subject myself to a room of loud-mouth drunken people I don?t even know. To each his own, sure, but one can only praise ?Appetite for Destruction? so much before it gets old and tired. I find that when I put myself in situations seemingly at odds with my norm, outside of my comfort zone, I benefit not only from new friends, drunken memories, etc., but from the sense that I can tackle any situation that I am presented with.

Take part in things that defy your nature now and again. If you?re all business, when?s the last time you jumped into a mosh pit? If your idea of a good afternoon is non-stop ?Gears of War 3,? can you remember the last time you attended a business networking function? Not to say that you can?t do both, but I?m sure no matter who you are you follow some sort of routine, one that might not call for much risk-taking.

Taking risks and putting yourself out there are essential to achieving a state of confidence and can-do attitude. You?ll be hard-pressed to take any risks if you spend all of your time talking to the same people, attending the same functions, etc. Sure, you can diversify your portfolio, but how about diversifying your life experiences while you?re at it?The better-rounded you are, the more you have to offer and the more appealing you?ll be.

Do you think Luke would have become a Jedi knight if he?d stayed on Tatooine? No, homeboy would still be farming moisture and/or drinking his sorrows away in the Mos Eisley Cantina. If you?re more of a Trekkie or just have no idea what I?m talking about, all I?m trying to say is that in order to better yourself, expand your horizons, win, etc., you?ve got to be willing to throw your hat/lightsaber into the ring. Whether it?s moving across the country to attend a great college/start a new job or going out to a bar you hate to meet a woman, it takes guts and charting unfamiliar waters to achieve your goals.

Step outside of your comfort zone and into a world of opportunity. That sounds like some sort of motivational poster, but it?s true. New friends, jobs, relationships await you on the other side, you just need to put your fears aside and make the jump to hyperspace ASAP. God, I need to get out more. Kegger, here I come.