Finding a balance between challenge and kindness
Pushing yourself to do better, and being kind to yourself when you don't
Pursuing self-development can sometimes feel a little masochistic. You are both the sculptor and the marble, and sometimes the chiselling HURTS.
Nobody ever made anything incredible without challenging themself. The greatest Olympians, artists, and businesspeople have all withstood intense discomfort, difficulty, and sometimes pain on their journey to greatness.
But not everyone needs - or wants - Olympic-level success. It’s perfectly fine to want to better yourself without waking up at 4am every day, eating only raw kale, or exercising until you fall over.
Pain and discomfort can be a sign of growth. They can also be a sign that you should stop whatever-it-is-that-you’re-doing that puts you in pain.
The point I’m trying to make here is that you need to find the right balance between challenging yourself, and being kind to yourself.
If you want success you have to work for it. You have to make sacrifices, and you will feel discomfort on the way.
So set yourself HUGE goals. Attempt difficult and extraordinary things. Push yourself to do better.
But be kind to yourself along the way.
Sacrifice and discomfort don’t have to define your journey. You can define your journey with kindness instead.
So think about how you talk to yourself when you fall short of your expectations. Use failure as an opportunity to learn, rather than as a reason to berate yourself.
I promise that your journey to success - however you define it - will be much more fun and rewarding.
Rich