Everything is hard before it is easy

Who here likes to make goals? 

They might be big goals that feel audacious and mighty. Perhaps something that makes you feel like it is going to be hard. 

 

Then you remember this.

Everything is hard before it is easy from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.

 

That’s right. Have you seen this in life? 

I have. 

Those goals and things that happen in life often go from hard to easy.

 

There are times you feel the change happens step by step and other moments when it seems that change has suddenly appeared. 

 

At times magical after hours or months of work.

 

Let’s roll into the way this can look.  

Something was hard then easy

First is a time when something I did was hard then easy step by step.

 

Running during my life has been a way I have done hard things in a fun way. 

 

I would plan for races when I was training to run distance events. Each week during training season brought a route with hills, miles or trails to increase my endurance and strength. 

 

The first time through each route brought sore muscles and missed turns. Especially on a mountain. 

 

Every time after that I found a rhythm with increased speed. 

 

Yes! Those first hard steps were getting easier and yet not too easy. That was also the point with training for me to get ready for a race. 

 

The tough part of running, when I did not know if the increased difficulty was worth it, is when I found my strength improving.

 

How was I going to know? Ahhh. That. 

 

The day I put on the race bib. 

 

Race day came many times after I followed this plan. 

Then this happened

Then this happened. 

I showed up for a race after months. There were hills, turns and water stations along the way and I knew where the changes would be located. 

Until I came around the last bend and looked up. 

 

Well, blimey. Why oh why do I always look up? 

 

Oh, that’s right, it brings the good things in life. 

Here is what I saw in that glance.

 

This last hill was longer and steeper than what was listed on the race map. 

What?

A sudden change. Now what do I do? 

 

What would you do? Do you pause when you look up and see a change? 

Consider that a moment, my friends. 

 

Now back to the hill.

 

I had a choice to make right away. 

Everything had been hard to this point of training and then it became easy. 

 

The choice was made as I geared down and kept running up the hill. I knew that the miles and mountains I ran in my training made it possible to roll to the finish of the race. 

One way goals can go from hard to easy

The step by step is one way that goals can go from hard to easy. 

 

Have you felt this happen in your life? 

 

Think about a recent goal you have achieved. 

 

Was it mighty? 

 

Do you remember the steps you took to go from it feeling like it was hard to then having it become easy? 

 

I also like to look at the small goals I work on every day. 

 

These can be things such as drinking enough water, 

standing up and stretching while I work at my desk, 

going outside, 

reading,

and daily meditation. 

 

Sounds like a cake walk.  

 

They are as important as a goal to run distance races. 

When each one is a part of my plan and schedule, they become easy. 

 

That is the flow in my world. 

 

And you? 

Big important goals

What have you found to be the big, important goals? 

 

Now, what about the steps that feel almost magical? When are goals achieved when you’re not even looking? 

 

Or so it seems. 

 

Those goals when everything about them is hard then becomes easy right before your eyes with a poof may actually be like this.

 

A bird sitting on a tree is never afraid of the branch breaking, because its trust is not on the branch but on its own wings.

Like the bird

What if you and I are like the bird. 

 

Gaining strength in our wings, abilities, the way we do things every day as we go from goal to goal or branch to branch. 

Finding our Flock of Birds with the colors and words that are important to us.

If the branch breaks away, then our wings are ready to fly us to the next branch. 

 

How do we gain this strength?

My friends. What if it is one step, one plan and one small goal at a time? 

 

Everything is hard before it is easy. 

My running plans brought blisters, dirt, uphill climbs and pulled muscles. 

 

Those same plans also brought long stretches, sunrise runs, downhill reprieves and sudden increases in strength that were not magical.  

 

The abracadabra moments were hard won and tough. 

 

Life is like this. Let’s be here for all the steps together.