A daily mantra that I've been saying to myself lately is one I read from Glennon Doyle's book, Untamed. It's that we can do hard things. Reading this phrase had me reframe how I experience moments of struggle in my life. I spent so much time avoiding hard things and playing it safe. I was finding ways to go around them, under them, over them, basically anything but through the difficult things without considering that I am fully capable of actually doing the damn thing.
More recently, I've had conversations with some friends about their own struggles and the difficult times they've had to overcome. Then you realize that every decision you have ever made led you to this moment right now. Which means, you did it! All those times you thought you weren't going to pull through, the moments where it seemed like too much to handle, you're here now! How cool is that? Go ahead, give yourself a pat on the back. I certainly am.
It was only a few months ago where I quit my full time job in LA, sold all my things, packed my little Honda Civic and moved my entire life to Oregon where I didn't have any job lined up, nor did I know a single person out here. And yet, I am writing to you from the Pacific North West where the coffee is strong, but the smell of trees and rain is stronger.
No, I'm not any different from you. I also had my doubts and fears, the voices in the back of my head questioning my every move. What if I fuck up somehow? What if I end up isolating myself even more? What if something happens on the way up? What if I made the wrong decision? Then, I flipped the switched on my brain and questioned back. What if this is the best decision I've ever made? What if I fall in love with life even more? What if I make it work and it turns out to be a totally awesome adventure?
Sometimes it's the last question that scares us the most. We hide behind all the excuses of why we shouldn't do something in order to stay comfortable, but what fun comes from that? Since my move, I road tripped to Chicago, gone on more hikes than my feet can remember, played in the snow (like the kind in the movies!) got a tattoo with an old friend, met new ones in random ways, rode out to the Oregon coast and honestly just chilled. It's a different vibe and I really like it. So yes, we can do hard things.