It's All Hard. Choose Your Hard.

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I just got back from a week-long hiking retreat in the mountains of Canada. It's called Mountain Trek and it's incredible and life-changing. I spent a week working out 6 hours a day, eating incredible food, learning about fitness, nutrition and wellness and making new friends. But here's the thing...it was HARD. Not just a little hard. A lot hard. Hiking was hard. Not having coffee and sugar was hard. Working out in the gym after dinner (after!) was hard. It was all hard. When I had moments of "I can't do this" - I repeated one of my favorite quotes over and over. 

It's all hard. Pick your hard. 

Here's what I mean: most times in life, we're choosing between things that are hard in their own ways. Each choice often has an element of "hard-ness."  For instance:

- Working out is hard. But not feeling comfortable in your own body is also hard. Pick your hard.

- Keeping your house clean is hard. But coming home every day to the stress of a messy house and sink full of dishes is also hard. Pick your hard. 

- Having an uncomfortable conversation with your partner is hard. But stewing with resentment or lack of clarity is also hard. Pick your hard.

You get it. So next time something is hard, ask yourself what the result is if you avoid doing the thing and if the result is also hard...pick your hard. There's no right or wrong choice - it's truly a choice. The point is, avoiding the hard thing often leads to another hard thing. From my experience, the hard thing that you choose - working out, cleaning your house, having the uncomfortable conversation - is often the courageous, muscle-building, meaningful kind of "hard" that feels good in the end. 

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