The challenges we face in life not only are a testament of our character, but are simultaneously our greatest learning lessons.
Whenever a challenege arises, we have one of two options: roll over and quit, or keep moving forward.
If we roll over and give up, we are relieving ourselves of the pressure, which in all respects, is a natural tendency we have as humans.
When things get hard, we simply look for the easiest way to get the pain to stop, and giving up and focusing on something else is the easiest way of doing so - the path of least resistence.
However, if we choose to keep moving forward, then it is essential that we recognize the only way in doing so is by applying more pressure.
Being as that I train horses for a living, I relate many life lessons to that of horses.
Horses are like people in many ways - they have good days and bad days just like us.
It also doesn’t go without mentioning that a horse learns from the release of pressure.
So when a horse is having a bad day, whether they are feeling lazy or just don’t feel like working, they will sometimes throw a fit to tell you that they just want to make the pressure stop.
However when a horse does decide to throw a fit, the worst thing that we could do as horseman is relieve them of that pressure.
If a horse learns that all he has to do is throw a fit to get the pressure to stop, it becomes a learned behavior, and before you know it, everytime you go to ride, they will start throwing a fit because they have associated throwing a fit with release of the pressure.
Instead, in these situations, it is important to keep applying pressure until the horse finally settles down.
When the horse finally settles down, then we can relieve them of the pressure and call it a day.
A horse will always tell you how it’s feeling in the moment - they are never scared of hiding their feelings.
If a horse is uncomfortable, they will make it known to you right away that they are uncomfortable.
But part of training them is teaching them to get comfortable with being uncomfortable - a topic that we discuss often here on this channel.
When life throws us challenges, the worst thing we can do is relieve ourselves of the pressure.
Instead, we need to learn how to apply more pressure in our most difficult times.
This is a fundamental principle of growth!
Maybe our previous strategy wasn’t working out in our favor, which is fine because that is part of the learning process.
If our previous strategy fails, the worst thing we can do is give up and move onto something else, especially when it is something we are passionate about.
What we need to do is restrategize and get back to work towards pursuing our mission.
If what you are doing gives you no sense of purpose, then you know inherently that you are on the wrong path.
But if what you are pursuing excites you, then you know that there has to be another way to figure it out.
Do yourselves a favor and understand that pressure is your friend.
Diamonds are made under pressure.
When our backs are against the wall, we all have the ability to thrive if we are able to get clear in our mission and apply more pressure to keep us moving forward.