Slithering back into the cave?

When we decide to make changes or do something new, it helps to have a good reason for doing it. If we don’t, there isn’t much keeping us on track when venturing out of our cave of comfort gets challenging.

When we do something new, whether that’s eating a plant based diet, batch cooking, sewing, painting, or learning a new language (ahem...bonjour mon ami) a point will be reached when we want to quit and give up because it’s damn hard (not too hard, just damn hard). If we pay attention, we can observe the exact moment we want to give up and quit. That moment has a particular flavor—full bodied defeat with an undertone of overwhelm, a hint of shame, and a surprisingly delicious trace of relief.

If we don’t have a good reason to do the thing we’re doing, it’s easy to hang up our hat, slither back into our cave, and do whatever comfy, cozy thing we were doing before we left.

We are more likely to follow through if we have a good reason to keep going.

But here’s the rub.

Just because you have a good reason, even a really fucking good reason to do the thing it will still be damn hard at times. Having a good reason to do something does not, I repeat, does not make the thing easier, it just gives us more grip to keep going.

So yes, figure out your why.

Why do you want to make the change or try something new? Pick a reason that you really, really, really like and put that reason front and center. Go Post-it crazy. Write it on your bathroom mirror in bright pink lipstick. Tattoo it on your arm.

And then, don’t be surprised when the thing gets damn hard even after you’ve plastered your reason for doing it all over your life.

There are many reasons why something might be complete in your life and it's time to move on. But if you give up just because something is hard, you rob yourself of the opportunity to see who you are when you keep going.

Who will you be on the other side of not giving up?

Molly