Nothing of greatness was ever achieved without a certain amount of learning, effort, commitment or challenge. Success in any realm requires one to never give up even when a goal seems impossible. With great imagination we must dream, take action and learn. Muscle tissue is amazing stuff. The brain needs to be worked and challenged just like the body. Work muscle to the point where it can't go any further and it responds by repairing itself becoming more prepared and powerful. Our bodies feel best and we derive a great deal of happiness when challenged to grow and get stronger. Our minds, hearts and spirits are no different and thrive while discovering new territory.

So why do people get stuck? Well, the tragedy here is not when people fail to attain a set goal, it's found in the fact that they never set a goal in the first place. Face facts: there’s no single human condition one might encounter that hasn’t already been experienced by millions of people. Take heart you are not the first person to feel “stuck” at this point in life.

Sometimes well-meaning aquaintances keep us in our ruts with the same unproductive conversations running on an endless loop. It’s like Groundhog Day without the laughs (or the groundhog...or Bill Murray). If that’s the case, resolve to move in different friend circles for a while. Expose yourself to fresh conversations and different scenery. New pals can be a refreshing complement to the comfort you feel with your long-time buddies and we truly are the sum average of everything and everyone we surround ourselves with.

Now, cells in the body communicate and the brain’s insula decodes their message. The mind is generated by the body, and the body is generated by the mind and heart. Reading books, watching documentaries, testing yourself mentally or emotionally with physical exercise is all one great connected thing.

The marathon runner mentally might want to quit at mile sixteen because he can't see the finish line and has no idea what the next hill will be like. But when the marathoner continues to push forward a new level of self-awareness is created. Upon crossing the finish line an entirely new level of potential is realized and the runner is wired to giggle or laugh at himself for ever wanting to give up.

Sure, after a challenging new adventure or grueling workout we may complain about being sore or stiff, but nothing beats the feeling of hypertrophy or the feeling of being reminded with each step we just did something at the edge or slightly beyond our perceived abilities. The sensations resulting from self-challenge both physical and mental, in my humble experience is the confirmation that we are in-fact alive and filled with limitless potential.

Both literally and figuratively, if we go long enough without making muscle — that is, without challenging ourselves to learn and grow in some way — we risk a disconnection with those parts of ourselves that naturally yearn to stretch, explore and evolve. This disconnection manifest into apathy, depression, boredom or worse...desctructive behaviors. Anyone can fall into this trap.

Many adults have so much stress and responsibility they may go years without riding a bicycle or playing a game for fun. The best way to avoid it is to constantly set new goals, ask more successful or in-shape people for help. A quick Google search will land you on countless inspirational blogs or articles offering good-to-great advice on shaking up your routine. Seek mentors! Ask people to recommend a new book. Setting goals is the first step to making the invisible visible.

For the cynic, simply write down a goal and put it up next to the bedroom door so everyday when leaving the room you are forced to visualize it. If you do this, I promise it will work!

Life is for learning and as long as we grow wiser from our experiments, victories and failures why not jump right in and try something new?

Without deviation from the norm, progress simply is not possible. Imagine it. Learn it. Master it. Don't let anyone or anything hold you back. Now go set a few goals!

Yours in Success, Peter D. Bouloukos