On Overcoming Challenges (It's Worth the Heat.)
We all have an area of our lives – a lift that always feels heavy, a relationship that always feels tense, a food that always seems to be in control of us – where we feel like we’re doing what we need to be doing, and it’s not going anywhere.
When this happens, do we stay curious and optimistic, knowing that success is inevitable if we stay the course?
Of course not.
Because we’re human: we’re wired to avoid things that are difficult or scary.
But, here’s the thing:
When things are going well, and we aren’t experiencing any issues or hitches or problems, often times, we don’t look for how we can improve. Why would we? Everything is working, and there’s no need to fix something that isn’t broken. It’s when things are messy, sucky, and not going right that we explore possibilities to upgrade.
We’ll find a solution rather than abandon another project, if we can change our minds about it. It’s where the magic happens. Because the very last thing we want to do if we’re not seeing results is be inconsistent.
The odds not always being in our favor is a part of life. But, just because we’re presented with a thing we didn’t necessarily want doesn’t mean that it doesn’t hold value.
We have a choice: do we immediately write ourselves off? Or do we take ownership of the situation, put ourselves back in our power, remember who the fuck we are, and keep it moving?
The dreamers, the doers, the problem solvers, the misfits – we aren’t meant for the mundane. We aren’t meant to uphold the status quo, to go with the flow, or do what someone tells us to do just for the sake of doing it. We’re meant to change the world, one step at a time, and to do that, we’ve gotta get in the mud and find out where the pain is and why it hurts. Embracing the suck (a phrase you've heard countless times by now, I'm sure) means more than just acknowledging that it’s shitty; it’s appreciating every second of it, knowing that it’s useful.
Spicy? You bet.
Worth the heat? Every time.
xoxo,
Steph
