Everything worth while is uphill.

We all have hills in our life. When you embark on a journey of growth where you commit to yourself and your dreams these hills come more frequently. It's hard to grow and go after what you want, but you get to the point where there is no other option.

"Everything worth while is uphill.

Everything."

-John Maxwell

How do you encounter the hills in your life?

Do you immediately defeat yourself when you see one - "it's just too hard..., I don't have the energy..., I don't have the time..., I can't handle that..., I'm just not that kind of person..."

Do you immediately tell yourself and your mind to slow down as it gets harder. Just check it off the list, "chip" away at it without intention or deadline.. you'll get there when you get there..

Or... Do you look at the hill and OWN that shit. Look at it, see all the challenges ahead ( and know there will be more), know it's going to be hard, it's going to take time, it's going to require you to push yourself, to grow and probably be uncomfortable - but you know that when you get to the top it'll be sooooo worth it. You will have learned. You will have grown. You will have committed and kept your promise to YOURSELF- because you said you would.

When I was first presented this, Rachel Hollis had asked us to visualize this exact scenario. I quickly realized that I immediately defeated myself before I even got to the hill ( unless I knew I would be good at it). My self talk was horrendous ( I would never speak to anyone I loved this way). When hills did come ( which they always do) I would avoid, get so anxious and afraid of failure that I made an excuse why it wasn't for me, numb and disconnect (usually by eating mindlessly or constantly busying myself) and convince myself that I didn't have enough energy, time, money, wasn't skinny enough, wasn't strong enough ... basically stay comfortable.

I wasn't happy. I didn't feel fulfilled, energized and proud at the end of each day. I realized (when I got real with myself) that I didn't think I was worthy of championing my own goals and of taking time for myself every day. I was afraid of failure and what others would think. I put everyone else before myself and, I didn't even know what I wanted anymore. Don't get me wrong, I was incredibly grateful for all that I had but I knew there was more. I wanted to feel ignited and enthusiastic about my life. I knew I had to train my mind and develop the mental toughness I needed to be able to chase my dreams and feel alive again.

These 3 concepts have changed my life:

1. Physical toughness helps develop mental toughness. Push yourself further than you think ( because you are stronger then you think), add another 5 reps, increase your speed when you are walking up a hill, add another 2 mins to your run or your workout. (The above picture was me doing a bridge- I made myself practice and do it as whenever I thought about it I kept telling myself that I wasn't strong enough and that I would get hurt.)

2. Do something that scares you every day. Start small. For me it was handstands, skipping rope, climbing a tree, going out without makeup, not waxing my eye brows, learning something new .. when I did it I realized that it's ok to be scared and do it anyways.

3. Practice adding JOY to your life- what tugs at your heart, gets your excited, give you butterflies, makes your soul smile and leaves you feeling excited and alive? For me it's painting, dancing, reading a great book cuddled up with a blanket, taking a warm bath, going for a walk in nature, wearing a funky pair of earrings, taking photos of my family and experiences.

The more you practice being scared and doing it anyways, the easier it gets.

"One of the greatest gifts you can give yourself is to get comfortable with being uncomfortable".

Start small and practice it daily. Remember, how you do anything is how you do everything.