You can handle hard things
You can handle hard things. Even the ones you didn’t think you could.
For anyone who needs to hear this, let me say: You can handle hard things. Even the ones you didn’t think you could.
The video above is of me discovering one of the many workouts available for those with a foot injury. The context behind that is that I experienced setbacks in my life several years back, so I figured then that focusing on self-improvement — including prevention and fitness — would help get me back on track.
The irony of ironies was my commitment to a regular routine did me in further. On one particularly exhausting day, I decided to still push through with a scheduled workout. The result was an injury due to an accidental slip that put all my weight on a foot.
Down and out and with a foot injury? Ka-ching! You bet it pours when it rains.
Some of my learnings from that period in my life, which tend to be reinforced every now and then:
- Be kind to yourself — Everybody makes mistakes; don’t expect to always get it right the first time. It’s like eating pizza when you’re on a diet. It’s okay. Think of that slice of pizza not as game over, but start over. To be real, if you eat the entire pizza, it’ll be harder to achieve your vision, yet hard still does not equate to non-doable. Also, realize that it’s likely you’ll find yourself back at square one several times in your life.
- Reach out for help — This can be tough, especially if you see yourself as reliable and self-sufficient. Find a mentor, a therapist, or a friend who you can trust enough to share your fears and concerns with. As a corollary, do not neglect your network. Connection is vital to being. Check in on people you care about when you can, and don’t only remember to slide a “Hi!” in a DM when you need something from someone. That’s a thing nowadays, and it’s not very fun to be a recipient of it. Don’t be too utilitarian in your relationships. Be respectful of even the casual ones you have.
- Recalibrate if you need to — There’s always a workaround (see: above video). The workarounds, however, manifest sooner when you keep your eyes peeled, practice humility, remain teachable, and are open to possibilities. It’s useful to remember you don’t know everything, and never will.
- Have faith — in both yourself and in the Lord. You do everything you absolutely can — carefully planning and striking items off your checklist — and then you surrender your best effort to the universe and in prayer. Not everything is within your sphere of control, anyway. Tough to accept perhaps, but that’s that.
