Sometimes I get inspired by the strangest things sometimes. But I find that inspiration can be found all around you if you’re looking for it. The other day I was watching a TV show and one of the characters said the line “you’ll do one hard thing at a time” and it struck me. Wow, that’s profound and kinda what life feels like a lot of the time. So I wrote it down, and a couple of days later made a social media post that simply said “Today, do one hard thing.” This idea has been stuck in my head though, and the more I sat with it, the more I thought that I needed to dive into this topic on the blog. So, here goes…
What makes something hard to do?
I don’t have an explanation, but I do know two things: first, some things are simply harder to do than other things and second, different things are hard for different people. What this means to me is that we need to be kind to ourselves when we find things hard. We also need to stop comparing ourselves to others, especially when we see them succeeding at doing something we find difficult. (and truthfully, we never really know what that other people go through to “make it look easy”, right?) Being unkind and comparing ourselves to others can make a hard thing even harder, and we definitely don't need that.
What is a hard thing that you want to do? Write it down.
Think about one thing that you have been avoiding or putting off, but that you know is something you either want or need to do. This is personal and unique to you. Although others may struggle with similar hard things, there’s a reason that you find it hard and sometimes we have dig into ourselves a little to find out why. It may be something “small” (I put it in quotes because small things can feel like big things) but that doesn’t matter. Big or small - it is what it is. We have to be careful not to judge ourselves with things like “what’s wrong with me that I find this hard?” or to lock ourselves in a box and simply shut down by telling ourselves “I can’t do this.” If we can remove the judgement, it gets a little easier to move forward.
If you’re stuck, here are some possibly hard things:
- It may be something that requires multiple steps and we need to make a plan.
- It may be something that we need help with and we need to reach out.
- It may be a conversation that we need to have.
- It may be a decision we need to make.
- Maybe it’s calming our inner critic down so we can get things done.
- Maybe it’s investing in our own growth in a certain way.
- Maybe it’s taking a break.
- Maybe it’s reaching out to a stranger and asking for something.
- Maybe it’s following up on a message.
- Maybe it’s practicing something that you have been avoiding.
- Maybe it’s posting that video on social media. Maybe it’s asking for feedback or asking a question.
- Maybe it’s saying no.
… I could do this all day, but you get the point.
The truth is, at one time or another, every single one of these things I mentioned have been a “hard thing” for me to do. Sometimes they still are. But acknowledging that they are hard and being ok with that fact really helps. I have also found that if I tackle one hard to-do item at a time, momentum kicks in and for a while I’m on a roll. So, start with one. Today, do one hard thing.
If you need some additional support, reach out to fellow Brave Musicians on social media or request a Brave Musician coaching session!