Nothing Good Was Ever Easy - But...

"Nothing good was ever easy." 

It's a quote derived from Theodore Roosevelt who said, more specifically, “Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty…"

My rebel self wants rage against this. "Life doesn't have to be so hard!" And yet, the most prized accomplishments, the most beautiful moments came because we cared enough to work harder for something.

Did we need to suffer endlessly? No. And I think that's the true distinction here. Something can be challenging without causing suffering. Some stretching, yes. A little sore, of course. Some things toppled over or released? Definitely. But we don't have to spend time whirling in the downward spiral of difficulty. 

In fact, keeping that extra layer out of the equation will speed up the process of working toward what we want to accomplish. Simply by acknowledging that the work IS hard allows us  keep going and stop the voices in our heads that shame us for taking too long, or what an idiot we are for not getting it right away, or fill in the blank here with whatever false narrative adds fuel to your fire. 

And instead we can say:

Writing a book is hard, and look at how I'm taking the steps to do it anyway.

Getting to the gym is a beastly endeavor, but today I went and tried something for 20 minutes.

Going visible on social media to promote my work is anxiety-inducing, but I know that's the only way the people I serve will know that change is possible.

And lo and behold, that extra layer of inner critic gunk is gone. The challenge is still there, the work is still worth it, and the prize is still sweet without the suffering.

It's a beautiful thing. Now go out there and get it done!