"That's Really Difficult" Is Not A Reason To Not Do It.

In fact, that might be all the more reason to follow through with it.

If there is one lesson my parents and upbringing taught me, it is that I can do hard things. I have a rap sheet of the things I worked through, figured out, and survived. I am not going to use this blog to list out my accomplishments because that isn't ever the point of accomplishing something anyhow. The point is to learn how to push further, think more strategically, and endure the difficult things because you are capable.

I'm not talking suffering for the sake of suffering. I'm talking doing things that matter to you and bring joy to lives around you regardless of the effort required. You are worth fighting for.

For example, four weeks ago one of my closest friends asked me to add an additional half-marathon into my Spring schedule to run it with him. This would require me to move my training schedule up four weeks.

The only “excuse” I could come up with was: that sounds hard and inconvenient.

So I said yes and signed up for the race immediately.

Because when I really thought about it, that wasn’t a reason not to do it. That was just proof that it would take effort.

The alarm would be earlier.

The miles would be longer sooner than expected.

My legs would complain a little louder.

But none of that actually meant I couldn’t do it.

It just meant I would have to commit.

That’s the funny thing about hard things. Most of the time the difficulty itself isn’t the real problem. The real problem is that hard things require us to stop negotiating with ourselves.

Once you decide, the excuses don’t hold much weight anymore.

You just go.

You lace up the shoes.

You run the miles.

You show up on the days you don’t feel like it.

And eventually something really interesting happens. The thing that once sounded “really difficult” slowly becomes part of your normal life.

You adapt.

You get stronger.

You become someone who does hard things without making a big speech about it.

I think we underestimate how capable we are.

We talk ourselves out of opportunities, challenges, and growth because the first thought we have is, that sounds like a lot.

Well, yes. It probably is.

But a lot of the best things in life are.

Building a strong body is hard.

Maintaining integrity is hard.

Healing after heartbreak is hard.

Starting over in a new place is hard.

Becoming the person you want to be is hard.

But difficulty does not mean impossibility.

In fact, difficulty is usually a sign that the thing in front of you might shape you into someone better. Doors do not open if you can't handle going through them.

That doesn’t mean saying yes to everything. It doesn’t mean filling your life with chaos or unnecessary stress. It just means recognizing that “hard” is not a valid reason to walk away from something meaningful.

Sometimes “hard” is actually the invitation.

It is the doorway to discipline, resilience, confidence, and growth. It is where you meet the version of yourself that you haven’t met yet.

And if you’re honest with yourself, that’s the version you’re actually trying to become.

So the next time you catch yourself saying, that sounds really difficult, pause for a second.

Ask yourself a better question.

Not can I avoid this?

But what might happen if I actually did it?

Because more often than not, the answer is simple.

You would rise to the occasion.

You would figure it out.

You would become stronger than you were before.

And that is almost always worth the effort.

All my love,

Neva