Doing Hard Things

We all have hard things to do.

I recently completed a 96-mile hike in Scotland! It was a dream fulfilled to hike the West

Highland Way. Of course, there was A Lot of planning and preparation - I was beginning to feel

as if I was working another job due to the time commitment to hike daily (about 100 miles a

month for 3 months and then double that the last month).

All that effort, planning and preparation were worth completing the needed miles, my body being

able to withstand the strain of an 8-day hike and the absence of blisters! Hurray!

My dear friend and hiking partner always reminds me as we walk and talk that hard things like

climbing a steep hill, enduring heat or any discomfort, having difficult conversations or

maintaining boundaries by saying no are our hard thing for the day.

She has this mental refrain that says every day I will do a hard thing. Not rejecting the hard

thing but learning to accept it has increased her stress tolerance and associate challenge with

reward.

Once the daily “hard thing” is expected, and because of it, one can choose to grow in strength

mentally, physically, emotionally or spiritually. Having a greater tolerance for stress and

challenge means that endurance grows. It is a huge reminder that I am capable – that You are

capable!

We can adapt and thrive with challenges.

Our brain is trained and changes itself based on how it is used. This is called neuroplasticity.

We can train and change our brains and get easy dopamine through mindless scrolling,

snacking, lounging - which is an immediate but extremely temporary rush that leaves us feeling

depleted, burned out and exhausted.

Or we can train and change our brains with earned dopamine. Earned dopamine has a longer

lasting effect and can be earned by going for a walk, sticking to a healthy eating plan, spending

time in prayer, finishing a book or a daily reading goal, etc. Our brains then begin to associate

challenge – “doing the hard thing” - with reward.

We can choose to wake up early to accomplish spiritual and physical goals, which is hard. Or

we can choose to wake up later and feel behind all day, not getting in a workout or time in the

bible to study and pray. Both choices have their challenges, but one reaps a better reward.

Choose your hard!

Building life-long endurance.

My kids are adults now, but I love to see them trying new things, learning new skills and not

being afraid to try and fail. I hope they were inspired by my long hike! But more importantly, I

see that they have grown in their capacity to Do the Hard Thing, and it hasn’t ended with

graduation. There is a lot of life left to live!