Making yourself do the work.

Sometimes, things feel extra hard.

Life is full of moments of inspiration, and joy, and excitement, and purpose. But, as with everything else, it's a balance. There can't be one without the other. So when you slip into moments where it all seems overwhelmingly exhausting and impossible, how do you make yourself move forward?

It doesn't matter what it is that you are struggling to do, this feeling applies universally. If it's getting to the gym, or working on writing your book, or keeping your house clean, or continuing to pursue whatever big dreams or goals you've been chasing... at some point, you're likely going to end up feeling bogged down, doubtful, and small. That feeling is just part of the deal when you're trying to improve and grow. You won't be brimming with confidence and experiencing success 100% of the time.

There are all the obvious things that google will tell you to do. Mindfulness exercises to bring yourself back to the present moment, keeping a gratitude journal to remind yourself of all the beauty and good around you, acknowledging how far you've come, etc. All these things are certainly good and proven to be helpful. But when it starts feeling like you're banging your head against the proverbial wall, sometimes the best thing you can do is just do it.

Do it tired.

Do it and suck at it.

Do it and hate it.

Just try doing it.

Get to the gym and sit on a stationary bike for 10 minutes. If that's all you've got in you, at least you went, and if you keep going, you will eventually come back around to that 40 minute ride. Sit down and write those 20 pages of your book, even if it starts out as garbage. Just keep sitting, just keep writing, and something good will come out of it. Drag yourself from the bed into the shower. Crawl in there with your clothes on if you have to, you'll get them off once you're in the nice warm water. Write a rough draft of the resume you want to create for that new job you're chasing. Do a 5 minute breathing exercise instead of your normal 30 minute meditation.

If you just keep trying to do the thing, you will eventually catch the wind in your sails again.

Success is a winding mountain path. You're going to have moments where you feel energized and happy, even on the uphill sections. You're also going to get tired and those same sections are going to feel harder and less fun. You're going to reach plateaus and beautiful meadows where the incline is mellow and easy. And you're also going to go down in elevation sometimes, and it's going to hurt your knees. But if you just keep walking, even when it doesn't feel great, you'll find your stride again and get yourself somewhere really incredible.

One foot in front of the other, just keep going.