The Tremble of Truth

I do Pilates twice a week at Pilates Northwest and both love and despise my instructor. Don’t worry, this will be no surprise to her as I tell her almost every week.  She consistently asks me to do something harder than she asked of me the week before.  Because of her great training, consistently I get to a place where my muscles start shaking. She and the other instructors joyfully refer to this as the “the tremble of truth.”They call it this because they know you’re not faking it; you’re actually working and are at the edge of your capacity. They also know your muscles are getting stronger if you can endure through the tremble.  The problem with the “tremble of truth” is that it still freaks me out; not every time, but I still have moments of panic when I want to stop. And sometimes I do. Still, I keep coming back, week after week, for more.Isn’t this true of growth in any area? Think about leadership. Anytime we’re building a new leadership muscle, there is a moment equivalent to the “tremble of truth.” From what I can tell, there are two camps we most often fall into: 1) We feel the tremble, get panicked, then stop and go back to the way we were doing it before. Or 2) We feel the tremble, get panicked and keep going. We persevere, push through, and keep coming back for more.I won’t bother mentioning those who avoid the muscle-building altogether– along with its accompanying panic, freak out, fear, or any number of avoidant behaviors. I don’t know any leader that stops having “trembles of truth” when they’re truly expanding. Yes, it’s inherently uncomfortable.  The question is: what choice do you make when you find yourself there?Experiment:The next time you’re experiencing a “tremble of truth,” be it be physical or emotional, instead of powering through it or denying it, why not voice it instead? That works great for me. I simply start talking out the thoughts that run through my head. I tell my dear instructor that I don’t like her. She knows better by now; that it’s just the pain talking. Of course, you don’t have to be as blatant as I am, but simply and clearly acknowledging the tremble will help you move through it even faster and, believe it or not, with more strength. (Journals, dogs and God are all great listeners if you don’t want to talk to another human being.) And you can always join me in Pilates class!