Most of the people I know want easy, tried and true and guaranteed results.
They want to know that what they’re doing is the right thing to do and that whatever struggles happen along the way are just part of the process- part of their eventual success.
While that’s a great thought, it doesn’t always end up that way.
I mean, the guaranteed success, the easy, tried and true results aren’t always a sure thing.
Sometimes the struggles are going to be ugly, hairy and seemingly worthless, but they’re there for a very good reason.
No matter what you’re trying to accomplish, you’re going to have to tread down a path that you might not want to go down because that path means that you’re going to have work, you’re going to have to struggle and that you might not succeed at achieving your goal.
What a downer.
Seriously, when you’re staring down the possibility of these things happening, why bother? What’s the point?
The point is that all of this struggling, all of this work, of hardship, of breakdowns are all a part of the process.
If you can see past the chance of failure, then you can possibly see the value in going through the process.
But chances are that if you’re reading this right now, you might not be having such an easy time accepting the idea of doing the work, trying to get the “thing” and then not actually accomplishing it.
This is where you get caught up. This is where your struggle is.
But trust me when I say this, the struggle is where the gold is. The struggle is where you’re going to learn the most about yourself, about what matters most to you, about how you work the best and what value that desired endpoint actually has in your life.
It’s all fine and good to work towards a goal. It’s fine that you tell yourself that you really, really want that thing, that goal.
But if you’re constantly stuck in the struggle of that “thing”, then what are you actually working towards?
Let me give you a concrete example.
Let’s say your overall goal is to get healthier. You have a few ideas on how you’d like that happen- 1. lose 25 pounds of body weight; 2. lower your cholesterol; 3. lower your blood pressure; and 4. feel better and stronger in your body.
Those are great goals and very specific and very concrete.
In a perfect world, all it would take to achieve those goals are eating a healthier and more balanced diet and getting more exercise.
Seriously, that’s all it would really take.
But in reality, it would also bring several other and critical factors into account.
You would have to deal with your current lifestyle. If you’re serious about becoming healthier, then you’re going to have to address the current habits you have around food and exercise. Are you a reactive eater? An emotional eater? And if so, then what is the real root cause of that?
You would have to deal with how you manage your time. By just saying you want to eat better and exercise more, you are steps away from making a long-term commitment to taking better care of yourself.
Believe it or not, many people find that one simple and almost common sense action to be one of the most difficult to adopt.
By making yourself a priority and carving out time to choose and prepare healthy food, you are potentially taking time away from your family and friends. The thought of doing this is very hard for some to accept and then put into action.
You’ll have to deal with criticism. You’ll have to deal with negative self-talk. You’ll have to deal with your self esteem and self image. You’ll have to deal with the clothing in your closet and in your drawers.
There are a lot of obstacles that will suddenly show up in your path once you decide to take a step forward and outside of your status quo.
But what you need to do is to make a decision.
Is the struggle that is heading your way- potentially- going to be worth it?
Can you handle knowing that it’s a necessary part of your process?
Are you able to reconcile the fact that you may not achieve your goal whether you accept the challenge or not?
If you are able to answer all of these questions honestly, then you’ll be able to know exactly how to take the next step.
Struggling is not necessarily a bad thing, if you’re able to learn from it.
This is where the magic is, where your ultimate prize is- this is where you’ll achieve something even greater than the goal you originally set out on.
So are you ready to step out? Are you ready to make it happen?
If you’re ready, then rock on.
If you’re not ready, then what is standing in your way? What is holding you up and is there a way out? Can you see it? Do you want to see it?
