What if Doing the Hard Stuff is the Secret to your Success?
Hi there!
I hope you are having a good week so far.
How did you get on with the "Gaining Clarity" workbook from the last newsletter? I would love to hear what insights you gained from the exercises so please feel free to reply to this email or reach out on LinkedIn!
This month I did something that I haven't done in well over a decade - I joined a gym. I had a choice between one at a hotel that had an infinity pool overlooking the sea and one that had heavy weights, accountability trainers and high expectations. I chose the latter - not because I wanted to but because I know I needed to.
I'm 46 this year, most certainly entering the peri-menopausal phase, gaining weight by what feels like the minute, and well aware that my early sporting days are no longer carrying me through anymore. It's time to sort myself out!
So I did what most normal humans do - I thought about it...for a very long time! 😂 I talked to people about it, researched it for hours late at night, watched loads of IG and Youtube videos about getting fit in your 40s. All the EASY stuff.
The hard thing to do was to actually go and join the gym. In fact, it was so hard, I almost vomited in my first session - no joke. That moment when you have to ask them to stop and you are looking around for the toilet sign in case you need to make a run for it! It was awful! 😣
The next 3 days were even worse. I literally couldn't walk, sit or go to the loo without wincing in pain.
But I went back and have been going back 3-4 times a week for the past month. It hasn't gotten much easier but it hurts less thankfully!!
I have a long way to go. At least 6 months before I will see any real results so I know I need to keep showing up to the hard stuff. So how am I going to do that?
Personally, I like having a mantra in my mind for when the self-talk and excuses get in the way (thanks inner critic!!). These help signal to the brain that we are going to take action.
Mine is "Just get in the car and go!!"
I have come up with hundreds of reasons why I shouldn't go over the past few weeks and I know there will be many more in the months to come so I need a strategy to get myself moving and not ruminating.
Why is this so important? Because every time you choose to act and do the hard stuff - even when you really really don't want to - you will be one step closer to your desire or dream.
Hard stuff can be anything from looking after your health and wellbeing like my example, negotiating a pay rise, initiating a difficult conversation with someone, setting a boundary, confronting a difficult person/situation, being kind to yourself!
So if you have hard stuff in your life right now that you know you need to do but are avoiding, perhaps some of the below mantras will help:
"This is going to suck but I am going to do it anyway."
"I am stronger than my excuses"
"Remember, progress, not perfection"
"I'm not looking for easy, I'm looking for growth"
"I am in control of my choices"
"I am choosing courage over discomfort"
"I will not let fear dictate my actions"
"This too shall pass"
"I choose to rise above my doubts"
"I trust myself to handle whatever comes my way"
We rarely feel like doing the hard stuff but if we want to change our circumstances and become the person we want to become then sometimes the only way is through!
I hope this was helpful. As always, please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or want to discuss any of the content in my newsletters.
With love,
