Stop underestimating your ability to cope with your own distress.

I see it all of the time. As humans, it seems to be in our nature to undervalue ourselves and underestimate our ability to handle difficult situations. From dismissing our past achievements and endeavors, minimizing the strengths and abilities we hold within us, and giving our shame-free reign over our lives, we set the stage to be crippled by our distress. 

Stop making space for your fear and shame to consume you. Stop devaluing yourself by dismissing who you are and all you have overcome. Make space for your distress. Yes, distress is a sign that we are doing something hard or moving out of our comfort zones. But we have to shift the narrative from being controlled by your distress -- fear, shame, anxiety -- to seeing that you can work with it AND overcome it. 

We can do hard things.

We do them every day. And if you are honest with yourself, is the thing you are worried about right now truly the hardest thing you have ever endured? That’s rhetorical, obviously because the answer is “no.” 

And the even more important thing is that, even if it were, we are now a stronger person than we were any time before this as we are always absorbing the lessons, skills, abilities, and tenacity of the hardships before this. And I promise you, that is a collective strength greater than you can imagine.

 Just think, what more could you take on if anchored yourself on the possibility you could handle anything you come face-to-face with? Even more, what would happen if you coupled that with the notion that true success is in showing up, not in the outcome of what we endure?