Not too long ago, I was rocking my Summer braids. Regretfully, it was time to take them out. I love the ease of having them and not worrying about my hair. What I don’t like is how long it takes to remove them. Argh! My daughter always jumps in to help me. This time was no different. We sat down with scissors and a bag to catch all the hair. We grabbed the remote to find something to watch as we settled in for what we knew would be hours!
She hit Disney+ and immediately I noticed an ad for a show called Never Say Never with Jeff Jenkins. I had no idea what it was about, so I asked her to click on it. Jeff is a chubby Black man (his words) on a mission to inspire. He travels the world and seeks to push himself outside his comfort zone by doing things people his size may think they can’t do. I was hooked by the descriptor alone.
He tries things I never would and doesn’t shy away from letting the viewers know that it’s not easy for him. He’s jumping hurdles in trusting himself and those around him. It’s nothing short of inspiring! He does a walk in the clouds, literally suspended 2000 feet in the air. In another episode, he jumps in the ring, one week after training, to sumo wrestle a professional. He also faces his fear of riding a motorbike after sharing something incredibly tragic that happened to him the last time he was on one. He is BRAVE and I love this show!
I learned…
The thing is, it’s not just about his size. Everyone has their thing. We’re all “too” something. You may think you are too tall, too chubby, too short, too slim, too (insert your thing here). Watching him instantly inspires you to go for it – whatever it is. He talks about pushing himself beyond his comfort zones to really live. I couldn’t help but think of what things I could and should be pushing myself to do. There have been things that I talk myself out of. I’m too much of an introvert, people won’t take me seriously, it won’t work anyway. These are all things that I’ve said that I have said to myself. In many instances, it’s kept me in the same spot because I didn’t push myself beyond my comfort zone.
We all know that comfort zones keep you trapped. It’s getting uncomfortable that really causes us to grow. That’s what I want – growth. I have pushed myself in other areas of my life and I can see how it has grown me. I’m trying to keep that same energy for every part of my life.
When I first saw the ad for Jeff Jenkins’ show, I thought it was going to be a weight loss reality show. I didn’t want to watch it until I read the description. I’m glad he created a show encouraging people to do what it is we think we can’t and not pushing the idea that we need to be a certain size before starting to live the lives we all want. The kind of life we all deserve – no matter what we tell ourselves we’re too much of.
Have you seen the show? How are you pushing yourself beyond your comfort zones?
