Knowing our limits and when to push beyond them

Some days, I feel like this:

The problem with channeling superwoman? I think I can perform at that level every single day. I try to set my schedule, my goals and expectations around her abilities, forgetting that superheroes are regular people most of the time. They're hanging out in regular clothes, doing regular people things. Then, when the situation arises, they emerge from the darkness and save the day.

In, The Art of Balance, an article published in Breathe magazine, I wrote:

For the past few months, I’ve been working out with a personal trainer, and at first, I resisted how hard he pushes me. He takes me to my physical limit and then makes me do a few more reps. At the gym and in our daily lives, women have the amazing ability to do more than we think we can do. I surprise myself every day. But where is the line? How do we find a realistic middle ground, somewhere between bliss and burnout?

Working with a trainer helped me come to terms with the part of me who's stronger--physically, mentally and emotionally-- than I think I am, and the part of me who's just a regular girl. So how do I know who's who? Which hat to wear? Which role to play? I haven't cracked some super-secret code, but for me the answer emerges from this:

Noticing when pushing myself hurts. And when it feels good.

Intuitively, I know the difference. It comes down to whether I'm ready to listen. Ready to trust myself.