Do Hard Things

Notice the sensations and thoughts that arise, trying not to judge or assign meaning to them.

Just get used to it. See what it’s like to sit with boredom, angst, or whatever other sensation arises. Learn to let your thoughts go where they may before nudging them back to the task at hand. Don’t try to do too much. Just be alone in your head. It sounds simple, but it serves as the foundation.

Emotions develop based on context. Find the nuance between the different signals. The nerves you feel before giving a talk? Call that your performance adrenaline. When we name something, we exert power and control over it. We are saying, “I know what you are and how to handle you.”

They were pursuing a goal because it aligned with who they were and brought them enjoyment and contentment. They were choosing to do the work, not being forced to. And they were having more success.

Move toward a narrow state of mind, and our focus shifts to the trees instead of the forest: our thinking becomes constrained, we tend to fall back on familiar choices and actions, and our mood sours. We linger where we are instead of exploring.

We can change the dialogue in productive ways or distance ourselves from the emotional response that might come from the more debilitative voices.

Creating space is a tool that we can all learn to use, one that helps us disconnect the initial sensation from the reverberating emotional response. And it’s a skill that truly defines grittiness because we are working through a challenge, not blitzing past

When we don’t have clarity in our internal world, we tend to resort to less effective coping mechanisms. An ability to read and discern our inner world gives us the flexibility to respond in a more productive manner.

We blame it on lack of will, or motivation, but the truth is when we lack a sense of control over our life, apathy naturally takes over.