The Struggle is Real
This year has brought on more travel for me than usual. The majority of this travel has been to my home – Akron, Ohio. Now, I can’t say that I’m complaining; it’s always nice to spend time with family and long-time friends. This last trip wasn't a particularly fun one as I traveled home to say goodbye to my aunt, but I am grateful that I was able to celebrate her life with my family.
During the services for her, I listened to my uncle eulogize her quite eloquently. He shared something about her that resonated with me – throughout her lengthy illness, she had to deal with a VAST amount of difficulties but she never complained. I was immediatly humbled.
Also while home, I had a discussion with a friend of mine that caused me to do a great deal of introspection. The essence of the conversation surrounded the relationship between discomfort and progression. Is it necessary to experience at least a bit of discomfort in order to truly grow? My friend, like so many of us, is uncomfortable with discomfort and tries to avoid it at all costs. That admission only caused me to reflect even more.
As the second half of the year approaches, I have begun revisiting my goals that I set out to accomplish at the beginning of 2016. Though I have accomplished some things that I am very proud of, I am not where I would like to be as the year progresses. When I realized this, the pity party began almost instantly. Upon further inspection, I realized that some of those items that I have yet to accomplish are within my control – I have been avoiding them.
I told him that I believed that the two were definitely intertwined, and this caused me to think about my own actions. My avoidance of some goals that I set for myself was out of avoiding discomfort or vulnerability. Though I always felt safe at the moment, safety was not progressing me towards where I wanted to be in the long term. I had found myself working for the sake of “busy” rather than “progress.”
I believe that progress, development, advancement, evolution (whichever way you want to spin it) requires a push, or discomfort. Avoiding that aspect, means avoiding progress. And without them, we might as well embrace stagnation – and I ask you (as well as myself), which are you more afraid of?
Two major things have happened recently, and one of them was out of my control. How can I bounce back from a death in the family? And why am I not where I thought I was going to be 6 months into the year? I can’t prescribe a pill for either, but I know that I will need to work; work through the pain of the loss towards healing and work through and embrace the discomfort that growth brings about.
We are halfway through the year now. Let’s reassess and reset. There’s still time. Are you willing to work the hand that you’re dealt (or that you dealt yourself), or spend time complaining? It may be time to shift the way you’re thinking to make some things happen.
Leave a comment below and share some victories and/or some opportunities! What have you accomplished? What are you looking to complete? Who inspires you to push harder?
Remember, progression (or BETTER) is the goal!
So.... #BeBetter