The morning workout focused on strengthening my legs–three moves done three times, followed by a second set of three moves repeated the same way. My body held steady until the second round of the first set. Then, my heart pounded, my muscles shook, and the thought crept in: I should stop after the first set.
As I pushed through, my mind kept trying to bargain with me. You could stop now and you still started the morning with a work out. This is hard–why not quit after two repetitions? I couldn’t decide which was harder: lifting the weights or ignoring my own thoughts.
The same resistance showed up when I needed to clean and rearrange my office. Over time, it had become the “just dump it and close the door” room. When I didn’t want to decide, I would just put it in the office to decide later. Items with no home ended up there. Eventually, the piles became too much to ignore.
As I sorted the first stack, my mind went on the attack. This is too hard. Every decision–to keep or toss–brought more resistance. This is stupid. You’ll never finish. Why not just leave it the way it is? The decisions were difficult enough without my own thoughts making it harder.
I’ve always appreciated the mantra, we can do hard things. Still, I notice how much I struggle with the smaller, everyday “hard things.” Walking alongside a loved one through cancer or enduring the loss of two loved ones close together–those aren’t optional. They come, and I have no choice but to face them. But when it comes to hard things within my control–like finishing a morning workout or sorting through clutter–that’s where my resolve wavers. Choosing to persevere in those moments takes a different kind of mental discipline.
In both the workout and the office, I persevered with mental strength. And though I’m proud of that, it wasn’t easy. The mental battle drained me more than the physical task itself. My mind often feels like a sneaky adversary–one I’d expect to be cheering for me instead of tearing me down. Whether it’s scrolling through social media telling me I need something, or walking into a meeting whispering that I have nothing to offer, my thoughts often have a will of their own.
But here’s what I’m learning: every time I discipline those unruly thoughts, I build mental strength. I don’t just want to survive challenges; I want to thrive. And thriving requires a mind that’s on my side–cheering me on, encouraging me, and reminding me every day: You can do hard things.