✨ Doing Hard Things
I like to say I prefer easy things. But if you looked at my choices from the outside, you might question that.
I’ve raised my hand for the tough challenges at work.
I quit a good job to figure out how to run a business.
I picked up running in my 40’s and eventually ran marathons.
I said yes to a Ragnar trail race — even though I’d never run trails, let alone in the dark or at elevation.
I signed up for a sprint triathlon that started by jumping off the Cape May–Lewes ferry.
By many standards, those weren’t “easy” decisions.
But for me, I loved the challenge of seeing if I could do them. I always said I wasn’t a marathon person — not enough time, not enough capability. But then I saw people decades older than me running them. Cancer survivors. Parents with intense work schedules. And I asked: If they can do it, why can’t I?
That same shift helped me launch my business. Other people were doing it. Why not me?
I knew both choices would be hard. I knew I might want to give up. (And there were moments when I did.)
But I chose to keep going — because I wanted to prove I could do hard things.
Suffering well, showing up, and standing out
I was listening to an episode of the Learning Leader podcast recently, and one theme hit home: the idea of doing hard things — and even suffering well — as a core part of personal and leadership growth.
Hard things will happen.
In life. In leadership. In business.
And while we may want ease, most things worth having will require effort. Discipline. Discomfort.
The podcast highlighted something interesting: fewer people seem willing to push outside their comfort zones these days.
And that? That creates an opportunity — because if you’re willing to do the hard things, you stand out.
Resilience comes from the hard things you’ve already done
When I hit something hard now — personally or professionally — I draw on the moments I thought I wouldn’t make it… and did.
Those moments are the raw materials of our future resilience.
Your version of hard might be different than mine.
There’s no comparison.
There’s no prize for the “hardest” life.
But here’s what I’ve made it through:
Being told on Day 1 of a new job that my role wasn’t funded. I survived — and found a new path.
Getting feedback I didn’t know how to process. I survived — and grew from it.
Missing out on a promotion I really wanted. I survived — and better opportunities followed.
Letting people down on a project. I survived — and learned what needed to change.
Not showing up as the leader I wanted to be — and having someone call it out. I survived — and got serious about self-leadership.
Losing loved ones to illness. I survived — and cherish the time I had with them.
Each of these felt hard. But I kept going.
Want something? Be willing to work for it.
Doing the hard thing doesn’t mean abandoning your boundaries, values, or well-being.
But it does mean showing up when it’s uncomfortable.
It means doing the long training run in the rain because you know it’s the preparation you need to run the race you want.
The honest truth I’ve learned?
When I’m unwilling to do the hard thing, it usually means I don’t want it enough.
Not deep down.
Maybe I want the outcome, the image, the external reward.
But if I’m not willing to prioritize the work?
It’s not the thing for me.
So… what’s your hard thing right now?
What’s the thing — personal or professional — that you do want enough to push through discomfort?
To train for?
To commit to — even when it’s hard?
Send me an email or drop a comment.
Let’s name it. And keep going.
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Photo by Wonderlane on Unsplash