How Do You Look At Struggles?

Before I became an entrepreneur I was a nurse. I never really thought about struggles as a nurse. I just chalked it up as maybe a tough day.

When I became an entrepreneur I started learning how I really needed to look at and think about struggles. As I said before, a day that I would be struggling with whatever it might be was sometimes a really tough day.

I don’t like to call it a BAD day as I always learned something from it. When you learn and grow how can that be a bad thing?

As an entrepreneur I learned that I needed those struggles to move me forward. If that is the way I want to move. Some people hit struggles, we all have them, and quit. I have never been a quitter. Even so, particularly some of my struggles, as I learned how to be an entrepreneur put me with the little voice that also attacks us all. I didn’t understand the voice and exactly what it was. Of course it was me, my little negative voice inside and yes we all have that too.

There were days it really shook my confidence. Growing daily as an entrepreneur and learning that I needed to read personal growth books to help me continue moving forward did I start to understand the voice and what the struggles really meant.

One day my husband and I went to dinner and had Chinese. Of course after dinner when they bring the bill there were the fortune cookies on the tray. I opened mine. It read “Failure is the tuition you pay for success.” That hit me right between the eyes. Now I was starting to put things into perspective.

It is said things come to you when you are ready. I had been struggling, making me feel like a failure, with the technology I was learning for my business. Then I get this particular fortune cookie. That is when I believe I started to embrace the struggles. As a positive person I have always tried to look at the positive side and then there were those days the little voice spoke loudly.

I have talked about a challenge I have been doing, 75HARD. I had heard about it and what it was. Didn’t think it was for me. One day some friends were going to do it and invited me to join them. I was not sure as the little voice kept saying, “you don’t want to do this. It is too hard. It’s not for you.” So I prayed about it and my answer did come to me. YES, I am going to do this.

This is more of a mental toughness challenge than a physical challenge. Yes, I have seen some good things happening physically. What I have noticed even more is how I look at things now.

How does this help with struggles you ask? This whole challenge has been a struggle every day. So you say just quit! That is exactly what the little voice, in the beginning was telling me, in the first week mind you.

So I don’t drag this out as I write this blog I am 70 days into the challenge. 5 more days left to complete. I will make it. The struggles, oh my yes, many over these days. The encouraging words from Andy Frisella, the author of the book and creator of the challenge, have been so helpful. He has done it and knows the struggles.

Several excerpts from the book,

“This is something you need to understand clearly and take to heart: average people fear struggle.”

“However, successful people understand that struggle is part of the success recipe. In fact, it’s the first ingredient of success.

“It’s the engine that drives improvement and achievement.”

“For starters, struggle is the schoolmaster of success. It’s how we learn what we need to improve.”

“If you try to skip over the process and pass on the struggle, you are short circuiting your ability to learn what you need to learn to be your best!”

I could continue with what Andy has to say but you get the idea.

What have I learned from doing this 75HARD? I have learned to work through the struggles and a lot of the days were struggles and I forged on. I believe the first thing I noticed was the little voice quieted down. Every now and then she would whisper and I just defied her.

The next things I was realizing was my confidence in me and my business was increasing. I was in a place strongly that I just got glimpses of in earlier life. Why? Another excerpt, ” The biggest reason struggle is extremely valuable is because it’s by working through it that you’re going to become confident.”

So, am I encouraging you to do the 75HARD? No but yes! I understand 75HARD is not for everyone . I want you to understand you can work through the struggles. Let yourself grow and just remember we all have them. Don’t let the struggle keep you from your best self!

To Your Success,

Deb