We Should Do Hard Things

What if embracing life's toughest challenges is not just about proving our resilience, but a necessary journey for personal growth? Join me, Rebecca, as we explore this idea and share some of my own experiences—like trekking the Salcante Trail and summiting Mount Kilimanjaro. These adventures taught me that hard things are not only worth doing but essential for revealing our inner strength. Whether it's overcoming personal adversities, launching new ventures, or even engaging in difficult conversations, each challenge is a stepping stone to discovering a brave and capable version of ourselves. 

This episode isn't just about climbing literal mountains; it's about navigating life's metaphorical ones too. Together, we'll discuss how enduring life's messier moments can build the grit that leads to lasting growth. From career upheavals to challenging family dynamics, we'll dive into why these seemingly insurmountable obstacles are invaluable teachers of patience, problem-solving, and resilience. Listen in and celebrate our innate ability, particularly as women, to rise to any occasion and emerge stronger, wiser, and ready for the next summit.

Learn more by visiting our website at https://www.hikelikeawoman.com

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:13

Hey, it's Rebecca. Welcome back to the show. Today we're going to tackle something big, something hard. Actually, we're talking about why we, especially as women, should take on hard challenges because, let's be real, life is full of them. And instead of running away, what if we leaned in? And what if we said bring it on, so buckle up, because we're about to dive into why doing hard things is not just worth it, but necessary for living our fullest lives.

Speaker 1: 0:43

This actually is sparked by a conversation that I had in Peru A few months ago. We were doing a group trek in Peru along the Salcante Trail and I woke up one morning and I just couldn't get this thought out of my head. And the thought is you know how a lot of people say we can do hard things. What if we took that one step up? And instead of saying we can do hard things, what if we changed it to we should do hard things? I think we should do hard things because I think if we can learn to be comfortable in uncomfortable situations, it builds that grit, it builds that resilience and it's just going to make us stronger physically and mentally. So here's why we should do hard things. Hard things remind us how strong we are. If you have ever been on a group trip with me, you know that we have climbed some big, big mountains, and climbing those mountains is such an incredible metaphor for life, because climbing mountains reminds us how strong we are. So maybe you're climbing a mountain, maybe you're starting a business. I understand that too. I've started four businesses. Two of those businesses were horrible failures, one was a success, and I don't know what's going on with Hike Like a Woman, but that's number four.

Speaker 1: 2:22

Maybe the hard thing is speaking up in a meeting where you feel like your voice isn't going to be heard. Maybe that hard thing is actually pulling up at a seat at the table and saying I belong here, along here. Maybe that hard thing we're doing is something. Maybe we have a challenging life situation. Maybe it's a medical diagnosis. Maybe we're about to go get our very first mammogram because we've found a lump in our breast, and I have been there too, my friend, right there with you. Maybe we're going through a difficult family situation with a partner, a spouse, a lover, a child, a parent, a grandparent.

Speaker 1: 3:10

I guess what I'm really trying to say here is that every challenge we face has the potential to show us a version of ourselves. We've never seen before a version of ourselves that's quite often brave, capable, resilient. On the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, I discovered a version of myself that I didn't even know existed. On that mountain, my legs were burning, my lungs felt like they might explode. I couldn't get a deep breath of air. I started questioning every decision I'd ever made about wanting to climb to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro. But once I reached the summit, I was exhausted, but I felt invincible. And that's what hard things do they give us, those summit moments that remind us we're so much stronger than we think.

Speaker 1: 4:07

Now let's talk about how hard things build grit. You know that feeling when you're knee deep in a project or a situation that feels impossible. Maybe you're trying to assemble Ikea furniture without crying, or maybe you're navigating a career change or a tough relationship. Or maybe you're like me and you're in this endless remodel and you've been remodeling your house for three years and things just are not going well. Well, that is the grit growing phase. It's messy, it's uncomfortable and, let's face it, sometimes it downright sucks. But here's the thing Grit is not born in comfort zones. It's forged in the fire of. I don't know if I can do this. And guess what? We, as women, we're really good at grit. Think about all the hats we wear, all the plates we spin. We're masters of showing up and getting it done, even when it's hard. But doing hard things isn't just about proving our strength. It's about growth. Every challenge teaches us something. Maybe it's patience or problem solving, how to deal with difficult people in difficult situations or how to ask for help when we need it. I am not very good at asking for help when I need it, but doing hard things pushes us to evolve and to become the next version of ourselves.

Speaker 1: 5:25

I actually had a really good conversation with my mom about this this morning. My mom took a big gap between her career she's a nurse and she worked and then she stopped working and she had children and then, once we were all in school, or a little before we were all in school, she needed to go back to work to support and provide for our family. I talked to my mom about this how, as adults, there's all these evolutions in our lives, there's all these points where things just change. I look at my own life and it I was an athlete and then I was an army officer and the army was my career, and then I got out of the army and then I started a small business and I raised my children, and then I bought an outdoor retail store and then I bought a ski shop and I ran my businesses while my children were in school and then I had cancer and that was a defining moment of my life. And then I sold my shops and then now I'm just going 100% into hike like a woman and I can't really see a point in my life where it was just smooth sailing. This is just how it is. There's always a transition, there's always a change.

Speaker 1: 6:48

But if we're not evolving, we're kind of staying still and we're kind of just being stagnant. And what's the point? A comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing ever grows there, isn't that true? So growth happens when we're willing to step into the unknown, to risk failure, to accept the evolutions that are coming and to keep on going, even when things get tough. And also, let's not forget this, going through hard things can help inspire other people. When we take on challenges, we're not just growing ourselves, we're lighting a way for those around us. We are shining our headlamp on the trail and we're saying follow me, I know the way. Isn't that beautiful?

Speaker 1: 7:39

Think about a time when you've seen a friend or a family member do something hard. Didn't it make you feel like you could do it too? That's the power of example. And we have this incredible opportunity to lift each other up through our own courage. And when we say, yes, this is hard, but I'm doing it anyway, we're telling every woman around us that she can do it too right. Yes, climbing to the summit of I did it and you can do it too right. That's the example we're setting when we choose to do hard things. It's different when hard things are placed upon us that we don't choose to do right, but when we choose to hard things, I just think there's so much power in the ability to share that experience with others and to show them the way. But I think there's something really satisfying about conquering a challenge. It is like that amazing bacon cheeseburger after a really hard hike. Right, there's joy in the struggle, but when the struggle ends and you get to enjoy the victory, there is even more joy in the victory. So why should we do hard things right? Why do I even care about this? Well, doing hard things makes us strong, they help us grow, they inspire others and they remind us that we're capable of doing incredible things.

Speaker 1: 9:10

So now it's your turn. What's a hard thing you've done recently and what did it teach you? Or maybe there's a challenge you've been avoiding. What would it look like if you just turned around and faced it head on? I'd love to chat about this. You can find me over on Instagram, facebook or email. Hi at hikelikeawomancom. I'd love to hear about your challenges and I would love to cheer you on, because that's why I'm here and that's why I do what I do. So thanks for joining me today. If this episode resonated with you, be sure to share it with a friend who might need a little nudge to take on their next challenge. So until next week, keep hiking, keep striving and keep doing hard things. You've got this. Cheers.