One of the Rebel Human orienting principles is to "do the hard thing when it's the right thing." We open and close classes and videos with this mission. It's a reminder to be with and face challenges rather than turn away and distract ourselves.
FIVE reasons doing the hard thing when it's the right thing empowers us:
1) Feeling our feelings - Feelings can be really uncomfortable and we often turn to screens, food, alcohol, shopping, or sex to distract us from feeling them. However, feeling them is definitely the right thing to do because you "have to feel it to heal it." A healed version of ourselves is the powerful, whole, joyful version of ourselves.
2) Encourages clarity, calm, and discernment - In a flash of anger, we can't accurately judge what the "right thing" is. We have to know the tools to regulate the nervous system, still the mind, and quietly discern what that "right thing" is in any given moment. These are skills we teach at Rebel Human.
3) Overcoming obstacles - As I like to say, "obstacles are not in the way, they are the way." And the sustainable fashion design legend Eileen Fisher says, "When there's a problem, dive into it. The secret to our next success is in the middle of that problem." This can actually be a fun exercise to neutrally look at the challenge (personal, business, family) and see how it can inform your next bit of growth or success. I know this seems counterintuitive but you can start with asking yourself, "what is this challenge/problem trying to teach me?" and see where that leads you. This is a playful path of discovery. If this is confusing and you have a specific problem you'd like to dive into, feel free to reply to this email and Jenny will do some one on one coaching with you.
4) Strength revealed - When we lean in and do the hard when it's the right thing, we discover a well of strength, resourcefulness, and resilience. We may not have known it was there. If we did know, maybe we haven't felt it in a long time. Even if you are someone who is doing the hard thing every day, feeling that surge of strength and realizing it's your clarity, discernment, power, and resilience in action can reinforce your confidence.
5) Gets us back on our track - Our track is the one that will help us fulfill our life's purpose. Of course, obstacles arise and make things hard. If we have been in a pattern of giving up when things get hard, we may be far off our path and may feel like we've lost ourselves. Hard doesn't mean it's wrong all the time. There is a difference between "hard" and "soul sucking," and "relationship destroying." There are times when we stick with something too long because we've committed to it and we think "pushing through" is a good thing. This is why we need discernment. A good question to ask yourself is, "Is this thing nourishing or depleting?" Go with your quick, gut response. If it's depleting, it may not be the right "hard thing." The right "hard thing" is something that ultimately lights you up, feels deeply connected to your purpose, satisfying and nourishing.
