By LAURA LEONARD
Doctor of Chiropractic
Los Alamos

I was suffering from writers block today and decided the best way to cure it was to go for a mountain bike ride. This led me to an ‘ah-ha’ moment as I decided to roll through a personally dreaded section of rocks, which have taken me down a couple of times. Not fun and quite painful to say the least. Today’s attempt yielded success. I rolled through the jaws of death quite smoothly, letting out a loud ‘woohoo’ to celebrate the occasion.

The ‘ah-ha’ moment came with the realization that it’s the ability to persevere through life’s bumps and negative experiences which builds confidence. Taking risks and trying new things means guaranteed failure. Many of us stick with what comes easily to avoid failure and in our desire for perfection, missing our chance to truly succeed. Life gives us jagged bumps, this is guaranteed. How are you going to handle those? Quit and take another trail or persevere and give it your best shot? Sometimes taking another path until you determine the safest approach is the best option. Determined avoidance forever and ever, however, limits our growth and ability to gain confidence.

Confidence gained from persevering through fear, failure and struggle is the ultimate boost to our self-esteem. If something comes easily to us and we focus on that because success is guaranteed, growing confidence in other areas won’t happen. I could choose the smooth path all day long and never face my insecurities head on. Trust me, I have days where I do exactly this. If I’m not feeling it, I’m not doing it. Along the way, I have figured out that sticking to this strategy limits my growth as a rider and in my life as a whole. Persevering through struggle and facing your personal challenges head on builds confidence like nothing else can.

Finally, embracing struggle requires preparation. Preparation gives you just enough confidence to face difficulties head on. For example, I use platform peddles so I’m not attached to my bike if I need to bail out. I also wear pads, gloves and a helmet to protect me in case of a fall. I’ve been to a women’s mountain biking clinic and practiced the new skills I learned over and over. As mountain biking gets more technical, going too slow and looking directly at obstacles equals falling. If something is scary and I’m hesitating too much, I say to myself, ‘not today’ and move on.

Finding balance between being too comfortable and pushing your limits is something you get to decide. Just know when you continually stay in your comfort zone, it does not build confidence. This process of preparing to tackle your struggles and deciding to take some risk creates transformation and builds confidence in ways you never expected.

Dr. Leonard’s practice focuses on posture and performance using a combination of soft tissue release, adjustments and exercise recommendations. She also coaches patients on nutrition, self-care and body awareness so they can manage themselves in between visits. Los Alamos Chiropractic Center is in the Mary Deal Building on Trinity Drive.