Why You Should Lean Into the Struggle If You Want to Grow

Every moment is your teacher, here to guide you along your path of growth — but only if you lean in. How do you react to the moments that hurt? What if you dug your heels into the struggle, opened your heart and looked deeper?

There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle; the other is as though everything is. What do you choose?

”This very moment is the perfect teacher, and, lucky for us, it’s with us wherever we are.” - Pema Chödrön

I choose miracles, even when they’re disguised as obstacles. I’ve seen time and time again that the hard times were preparing me for what was ahead.

Absolutely everything is a preparation. Life is a collection of perfectly orchestrated moments, each one getting you ready for what's yet to come.

And though it's hard for us to see in the midst of it, most of this preparation lies in the difficult experiences.

It's in death.

It’s in divorce.

It’s in sickness.

It’s in loss, in sadness, in confusion.

Endless summer days are wonderful, but they don't do much for the evolution of your soul; they don’t bring you to your knees in awe of the universe.

It's the heavy shit, the heartache and the pain, that gets you where you need to go.

So know that whatever you are moving through right now, or whatever difficulties you've been through in your past, however painful, are the most valuable moments of them all. Because it's through the cracks, through all that pain, that the light gets in. Some of us are blessed with a lot of it.

Yes, I said blessed. What if whatever you are going through right now was a blessing? I believe it is.

Even the tough stuff.

Even the utterly confusing stuff. We HAVE to be confused to figure shit out! There is no way around it. Confusion brings clarity. Darkness brings light. Sadness brings joy.

Be careful what you focus on when the going gets tough. Don’t get stuck in the questioning of why you are where you are. There’s a bigger plan in the works, one that you are co-creating for the learning you’re here to do with every move you make. Sometimes, that plan includes difficulties.

What if, instead of fighting it, you leaned in?

Open up to the idea that every difficult place you find yourself in is an opportunity for you to grow; to forgive; to love more than you ever have before.

It helps to take a deep breath, a big step back and a look at the bigger picture.

At the end of your life, will any of the drama, gossip or “he said/she said” matter? No! What matters is how kind you are; how loving you are; what you choose to bring out into the world.

We can choose to go with the drama and feel hurt, jealous or disappointed, or we can inquire, feel what we need to feel, open up, be intimate and sit with our emotions.

Today I chose love, honesty, forgiveness and letting go because those four things presented themselves to me, disguised as four difficult situations. I could have pushed back, punched and yelled or ran away, but I didn’t.

I leaned into the opportunity for my own evolution to grow. Then, I came out the other side filled with even more faith and love.

You are blessed with the challenges that can help you grow, evolve, and make you realize the importance of the people in your life.

So whatever is bothering you today, whatever heavy weight you’re carrying on your shoulders, whatever resistance is pushing on your heart, see it for what it is: baggage you’ve been dragging around long enough. Let that shit go! Let it go so you can come back to the present. What you resist persists. Start right now.

Only in the present moments of pure nothingness can we see the beauty that exists in every moment of every day (even in the dark moments, there is light).

After living through intense loss and pain, I can still honestly say that I am so grateful for the hard things in life; they give us so much.

So be here. Now. Trust. Believe in the bigger picture. Keep moving forward, through and up. One day... It will all make perfect sense.

Now, it’s your turn. What’s disguised as difficulty in your life right now? Scratch at its surface. Go deeper. See what’s on the other side.

Something absolutely wonderful is waiting for you if you do, I guarantee it.

So, I ask you again: There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle; the other is as though everything is. What do you choose? Share with us below.

X,

Rachel