Life is full of challenges. Some, like signing up for a gym membership after not working out for 20 years, registering for a fitness challenge or committing to a new habit, are within our control. Others, like illness, loss, or unexpected stress, come whether we’re ready or not.
But here’s the truth: when we choose to step into hard things—when we put ourselves in the arena—we build the resilience, discipline, and confidence to handle the challenges that choose us.
The Challenges We Choose
At 361 Fitness, we’ve kicked off two challenges so far this year:
✅ The Healthy Habits Challenge – where members focused on small, sustainable habits to improve their health and lose weight.
✅ For the Love of Steps 10k Challenge – encouraging daily movement to build consistency and improve overall well-being.
These challenges weren’t about proving anything to anyone. They were about setting ourselves up for success by choosing to push just a little further, even on days we didn’t feel like it. They were about practicing commitment, not perfection.
And here’s the magic: when we repeatedly show up for the challenges we choose, we’re training for the ones we don’t.
Why Some People Avoid Challenges
Not everyone jumps at the opportunity to take on a challenge. We hear it all the time:
But if we’re being honest, most of the time, those excuses are just a cover for something deeper: fear of failure.
Because when we step into a challenge, we risk finding out exactly where our limits are. And that’s uncomfortable.
At the root of it? Fear.
But here’s what I want you to hear: the fact that it scares you is exactly why you should do it.
Growth only happens in discomfort. The challenges we resist are usually the ones we need the most.
Training for the Unexpected
No one wakes up hoping for adversity, but it’s coming—eventually. An injury. A job loss. A family emergency. A hard season where motivation is nowhere to be found.
The question isn’t if life will challenge you—it’s when. And when that moment comes, you’ll rely on the skills and mindset you built during the challenges you willingly faced.
I saw this firsthand when I signed up for the GoRuck 50-Mile Star Course.
It was long. It was brutal. And honestly? I wasn’t sure I could finish. But I knew I needed to put myself in that position—to test myself, to see what I was capable of. There were moments I wanted to quit. My legs and feet HURT. The miles stretched on. But I kept moving forward, one step at a time. And when I finished, I walked away with something far more valuable than a medal or a time: proof that I could do hard things.
That’s the thing about challenges. They don’t just make you stronger in the moment—they prepare you for the ones you don’t see coming. The unexpected injuries, the setbacks, the life stress that knocks the wind out of you.
And when those moments come, you’ll have something to lean on.
Every step, every habit, every challenge we take on before we need it is like putting reps in the bank for when life tests us.
How This Applies to Fitness (and Everything Else)
Fitness is one of the best ways to practice this. No one has to work out. No one has to get their steps in. No one has to eat foods that fuel them. But when we choose to do those things, we’re strengthening more than just our muscles. We’re building the mindset that says:
✔️ I can do hard things.
✔️ I can show up when it’s inconvenient.
✔️ I can push through when I don’t feel like it.
And one day, when life throws something unexpected your way, you’ll already know how to handle it—because you’ve trained for it.
Step Into the Arena
The greatest rewards don’t come from sitting on the sidelines. Growth, success, and even failure—they all happen inside the arena. It’s not about being the best. It’s about being in the fight, showing up, and choosing to push beyond what’s comfortable.
As Theodore Roosevelt put it:
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly… who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming… but who does actually strive to do the deeds.”
I didn’t sign up for a 50-mile ruck because it was easy. I signed up because I knew it would change me. And it did.
So here’s my challenge to you: Where in your life do you need to step into the arena?
Maybe it’s showing up for your workouts. Maybe it’s joining a challenge, even if it scares you. Maybe it’s committing to your health, even when life gets busy.
You don’t have to wait for the perfect moment—the arena is open, and it’s waiting for you.
Are you stepping in or staying on the sidelines?
