This is too hard.
Have you ever moaned those words?
I have.
You're giving it all you've got, and it doesn't seem to be working.
When you're feeling that feeling, you will do anything not to have to keep going.
Enter…
Procrastination.
Excuses.
Switching gears.
Believing you are not capable.
Thinking that you've made the wrong choice.
Quitting because it's better than failing.
That's where I go, anyway.
But…
What if you thought, this is too hard right now?
What if you just kept going, despite it being hard?
What if you allowed yourself to take a break instead of quitting?
What if you banished failure from your vocabulary?
What if you asked for help?
What if you reminded yourself of how capable you are instead of tearing yourself apart?
Maybe we need to stop pushing so hard.
Maybe we need to lighten up on ourselves.
Maybe it's hard because we're making it hard.
For me,
I get really excited. I go all in. I give it my all. Go, go, go. Push, push, push. And when the movement forward is the tiniest of baby steps or no movement at all, I get frustrated, and I quit temporarily.
Temporarily quitting then sets me back. I lose momentum. I lose ambition. I lose consistency. I lose discipline. Then I have to start from behind and work even harder. It becomes a vicious cycle.
Why do I do it?
Because I give in to the thought that it's too hard for me. That I'll never make it. That I'm not good enough.
I see myself as less than.
I compare myself to the ones making it work with what seems like complete ease.
I overgeneralize, thinking that if it didn't work this time, it's never going to work.
I catastrophize. This will never, ever work, and I've done all this for nothing. I failed. I will suffer. My family will suffer. It will be the end of us all! (yes, dramatic, I know…catastrophic)
I filter, only noticing what didn't work and none of what did.
I blame. If only someone would have… Why can't they…
I mind-read. I hear judgment in my head. They all hate me. They think I'm annoying. Everyone is sick of hearing from me.
I burn out because I don't give myself (mind or body) time to rest and recharge.
I get angry with myself.
I get angry with others.
I get angry with the Universe.
Can you relate?
Man, we are so hard on ourselves, aren't we?
I think it's time for a different approach.
Let's remember our why. Why we are doing what we're doing.
Let's have faith that it's working, even if we can't see it yet.
Let's be kinder and gentler with ourselves.
Let's take breaks instead of quitting.
Let's stop comparing ourselves to other people at different points in their journeys (and who have certainly had rough times, but we didn't witness them).
Let's think less about the people who may be judging us and more about the people nodding their heads in agreement.
Let's celebrate our successes, even the teeny-tiny ones.
Let's stop holding others responsible for our success.
Let's remember that even the most successful people didn't start out that way.
Let's tell ourselves that we are more than capable.
Let's stop holding ourselves back.
Let's just keep going, and going, and going.
Until we look back and say, that was so worth it!
Until next time…
Michele
Right after writing this post, I pulled an affirmation oracle card. Here is what it said…
Divine
There is a gently, guiding force of life
Embedded deep within
Each of our souls.
And we get to choose whether or not
We listen
To the innate, gentle guidance
That lives within and around each of us.
There are no accidents, no coincidences.
There is only choice.
Trust that nothing is left to chance.
And rather,
That everything is laid out for us.
Perfectly plotted and planned,
Just waiting for us to say yes to.
Of course, we get to choose
To trust its guidance
And to surrender to the knowing
That this is all part of a beautiful Divine plan
Created and crafted specifically to
Suit the very purpose
For which your soul exists.