Doing Hard Things

Jeff and I have been having a perpetual conversation with our kids about doing things that aren't easy, things that don't come naturally and things that may be outside their comfort zones. Do HARD things, we tell them. As a homeschooling mom, I know exactly when my kids are being lazy during the school day. I know when they aren't trying. I know when they are taking the easy way out. So, I push them a little: Do HARD things, I remind them. Because it's when we do hard things that we grow and learn. And it's in those things that we feel the most pride and sense of accomplishment. And when we have those feelings, we want to do harder things.

It's interesting how I can never lecture my kids without feeling the sting of the lecture as well. And, I have to admit that in the past few years, I have not really gravitated toward doing hard things. In college, I majored in the hardest thing I could think of, and I kind of burned out a little. I'm not saying I haven't pushed myself beyond my known limits since that time, but I have not actively and intentionally pursued things that are hard on a regular basis. Oh, I took on the two most daunting rooms in the house today--Max's bedroom and the boys' bathroom--and I went to Walmart with the kids, at 5:00 pm. But, that's not really the kind of hard I'm talking about. And, so, in a never-ending effort to model for my kids the behavior I wish to see in their lives, I have made a conscious decision in the last few months to DO HARD THINGS. I am trying to choose to do things that are outside my comfort zone from time to time. And, I'm trying to do things that don't necessarily come easily or naturally. That's part of what tutoring a CC class was about for me. And I'm so glad I took that on. It has been such an amazing experience. And I already see several more opportunities to take on a few new hard things. My hard things may not be your hard things, because we've all got different hurdles and different thresholds and different mental blocks. But, I think we all need to be doing hard things, whatever those things may be. (That said, I do think a person can take on too many hard things at once, which certainly isn't advisable). It's easy to do what's easy, but it's sometimes challenging to motivate ourselves to do what is hard. I read a quote the other day that inspired me to just go ahead and take up some new challenge: Don't wait to feel motivated; just get started, as though you are motivated, and the motivation will come. That thought carried me through some of the less desirable tasks I had on my to-do list today, but it also pushes me to go ahead and pursue some hard things in my life. What hard thing will you do?