How To Do Hard Things

 

“Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did.”

~ Newt Gingrich

“It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop.”

~ Confucius

Hey, Lovelies.

I am certainly going through a rough patch just now.

Pain, nausea, sleepless nights, daily exhausting bouts of vomiting as a side-effect of the medications I am taking to manage complications of Late-Stage Lyme disease.

Many of you have expressed thoughts that you ‘couldn’t do something like that’ or that I am somehow special or amazing because I am fronting up to this treatment each day as gracefully as I can.

Reality check, please.

Yes, I am fronting up each day, but it’s hard.

I have ugly-cried to the snot-bubble stage several times already or lain awake whimpering most of the night and I’m not even two weeks in to what will mostly likely be an 18 month or even 2 year course of treatment.

Other times I am more circumspect, but yeah, did I say it’s hard?

I’m nothing special, and I have no special superpowers when it comes to this. The mental toughness and resilience I bring to my daily treatments is born of over thirty years of poor health, and of having to just suck it up to get things done. I know I can do hard things because I have had to do hard things. There was no Plan B. Sometimes, I was just naive and had no idea how bad BAD really was until I was already down in the hole and committed to the journey. Sometimes, there was no other way forward so I had to pick myself up and keep going.

But, haven’t you done that too? Haven’t there been situations where you had to grit your teeth and just do it? I’m sure you have. Many times over. 

We’ve all had to endure hardships, discomfort, pain and trauma. We’ve had to stand up for ourselves, knock on doors, face potential rejection, or put our values or our health or a hard goal first and do whatever it took to make that happen.
It’s never fun, but those hard times do tend to shine us up, help us find out what we’re really made of, clarify for us what matters most.

2025 is a big year for pattern-breaking, healing and creating new directions forward. That will most likely cause you some discomfort as you commit to that path and step outside of your current long-term and familiar habits and ways of being.

I am cheering you on and sending every encouragement.

You CAN do hard things.
Sometimes the only way to get what you want is to grit your teeth and go for it. The thing you want will be on the other side of the hard thing you are avoiding.

Stop avoiding it.

You’ve got this. The discomfort will be worth it.

I love you, and I’m proud of you. You are going to surprise yourself this year. And all you had to do was try!
Hugs, a motivating playlist, mugs of chai and tasty little snacks for energy, Nicole xx