Humbled by Hardships

Remember in this blog when we were reminded to stop chasing perfect and how we are all beginners at some point? What do you do with yourself when you’re suffering a hardship? When you’re faced with a new experience and you don’t know what to do? You don’t run from it, because remember our goal is not to be perfect. 

We embrace the hardship as an opportunity to grow and be better. Allow yourself to be humbled, to say, “hmmm… I have never experienced this before and I don’t know what to do. It is time to learn.” 

We are quick to let our ego get in the way when something becomes difficult. “I fail.” “I can’t do this.” “I’m not capable.” “I suck.” “Why does this always happen to me?” and whatever other nasty things you say to yourself. When you start down that rabbit hole of negative self-talk you immediately shut down to the opportunity of growth that exists at this moment. 

Allow yourself to be humbled by your hardships. Know that these hardships are here to shape you, not break you. They may test your faith, your strength, your creativity, your resourcefulness, your ambition, your priorities, your spirit, and a million other parts of you, but they do not have to break you. You decide. You get to decide. Do you crumble when something gets hard, or do you stand strong and persevere? Do you run from the challenges or do you take them head-on? 

It is easy to take on that challenge at work or at the gym. It’s tangible. You have a true deadline and milestones to meet along the way. It’s a little harder when that hardship is something less tangible. Something like the loss of a loved one. A conflict with someone. Energy vampires. Depression or anxiety. 

You may not have a linear path to completion, but you still have a choice. You get to decide if you’ll handle these challenges the same way you approach those challenges at work. You get to decide if you’ll stretch to reach your goals or if you’ll give in and remain stagnant. It’s up to you. Will you be humbled by your hardships, or will you be motivated by them?