I want to challenge your thinking and explain why it’s okay that life is sometimes difficult, annoying, and downright hard! 

Why? Because then you learn:

-Persistence – the importance of repeated effort, even when it’s hard!

-Satisfaction - feeling good about yourself when you overcome that hurdle.

-Proud – of yourself for doing so. Others will be proud of you, too.

-You are setting an example - others will be inspired by your actions and it helps them realize they can do it too!

These are the same reasons well-meaning parents shouldn’t coddle their kids and do everything for them. Otherwise, how will the youngster ever know they are capable? How will they stretch the “hardship” muscle until it becomes easier? How will they develop the self-confidence to strive for other goals?

If you never experience hard things, you will become stagnant. You will not grow and learn as a human being. Your life on Earth will be pretty much a waste of time. Instead, don’t set limits on yourself or your children. Keep doing hard things. Keep stretching your “hardship” muscle.

You will be surprised at what you (or they) can accomplish once you learn how to overcome hardship. When you build your “hardship” muscle through practice, you learn you can do hard things. You learn to do hard things on a regular basis. Doing hard things is no longer an obstacle. It’s just part of the process.

Think about something that was once hard for you. Maybe it was learning to ride a bike or master Geometry. It was hard at first, but you kept trying and finally accomplished it.

Perhaps it was finding a job. After 100’s of applications, you finally secured one. Maybe your struggle was college – getting accepted, paying for it, doing the work, and then graduating. It was all hard work.

How many of us stop trying along the way? How many of us have numerous excuses for our failure to reach goals?

It’s normal to want to quit when life (or a specific task) get hard. The icing on the cake comes when we push through, pivot, and/or learn a new way to accomplish what was once hard.

No one can take away your feeling of accomplishment—you earned it!

Next time life gives you a “hard” thing, appreciate the opportunity to stretch your capabilities and grow. Practice stretching your “hardship” muscle. It will get easier each time until one day, nothing will be an obstacle for you, merely an opportunity.

You step into greatness. You step into divinity. You step into the person you were meant to be.