September 26, 2006
Overcoming Fears
DO THE HARD THINGS....
DO THE HARD THINGS…..
You know what I have learned about life after a whole lot of doing things wrong? I have learned that if you’ve got something difficult staring you in the face…just get it done…and get it done first…get it done before you chicken-out or change your mind or get scared out of it…if you know it’s right, if you know it’s necessary to get you where you want to go, or where you know you are supposed to go…do the hard things.
I think one of the hardest things in the whole wide world is accepting and embracing change…especially a change that will shake things up…a change that’s a little scary and uncertain….a change that is inevitable.
Another really hard thing is having conversations that need to happen…that are scary and uncomfortable….
Today I had to do some things that I have been trying to fight for a long time…I had to accept some big changes and even take it into my hands to accelerate them. I had to have some conversations that I knew were crucial, but that I tried to fool myself into thinking weren’t really so necessary….because I knew that what I had to do today would make it one of the most difficult but character building days that I would ever have…
“It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power.” –Alan Cohen
But, I did it. I just did it. I did it first thing and I kept it together and I remained honest and loving the way I wanted to…I wanted to show my love and respect by being completely honest, with myself and with the changes that needed to happen….and I didn’t waver from what I knew needed to happen. I sacrificed my own comfort and fears for the greater good…..and, it was very very difficult…and painful….but, I have known that it needed to be done for so many reasons….not just for me, but for others that I care about so deeply……
I have to be honest and say that I used to have my husband do so much of this for me…take care of things that made me uncomfortable or scared….and today, he said he would help me….but….I told him that I needed to do this myself, because it was the right thing to do and because I cared about it enough to do it the right way…to show my respect and care, straight from me. In the past I have had teammates do hard things for me, I’ve even had my children do hard things for me…..you know….tenderhearted and non-confrontational, etc……and, over the years, I have conquered one hard thing after another…..and realized…that the more you do hard things that need to be done, in a completely full-hearted and honest way….the more you realize that just doing it has immense rewards, mostly internal, but external, too. I came home tonight feeling at-peace….feeling like I handled things with grace and dignity and respect and love….and the only way that it could have happened is by doing it the hard way….and I did.
And even though it was a difficult day….and I am exhausted….I feel a great sense of peace and self-respect…..that I am starting to be a grown-up…..and it’s about time.
Do the hard things. You know what they are…..just go do it….you will feel ten thousand times better and so will everyone around you who knows it needs to be done…..just do it, do the hard things……
Hope you’re having a great week!
lots of love
melody