"Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men."
-John F. Kennedy
So here are a couple of my favorite quotes that my kids aren't as fond of, but that they will probably use on their own kids some day: "Hard's just hard. It's not impossible." and "You can do hard things." I often tell them, "It's okay to be uncomfortable," which they don't relish either. However, I think it is vital for me and for them to understand that the times we grow the most are usually the times we are doing something that makes us uncomfortable or experiencing 'tough times.'
For example, I am pretty sure there aren't many people who choose planking as a 'comfortable' position to.. say.. watch a movie. If you don't know what planks are, look them up—maybe your stronger self will thank me some day. Planks are uncomfortable. Very Uncomfortable. Especially when you do them for longer than about 30 seconds. But no one can say they don't make you stronger. As I type, my son is sitting next to me reminding me how much wrestling makes you stronger. I have to agree. Anyone who has wrestled knows that it is rarely 'comfortable.' But I know first-hand it turns out some pretty tough boys.
I had an English teacher at North Ogden Junior High a 'few' years ago. I thought she was mean. She gave us too much work. That lady dragged us through as many notes, tests, and assignments in one day as most teachers accomplished in a week. Seriously. Well, one day I was talking with an older friend about our schedules for the next school year and he questioned whether I had requested his favorite teacher for English. I was so surprised when he said her name I couldn't speak. My "mean" teacher. In answer to my surprised look he raved about how much he had learned from her and how well she had prepared him for high school. My perspective changed, and I was happy to find out when I got my schedule that I would be in her class again the next year. I worked my tail off in her class, maintained an A, and went on to AP English in High School, passed the AP Exam- receiving college credit, and English remains my favorite subject in school to this day.
Sometimes even going on a family vacation fits into the “uncomfortable” category. They can be a lot of work to plan, sometimes it is hard to be together in tight quarters like a hotel room or car for hours on end, and some flexibility is usually required. But the memories are worth it.
When I think about the times in my life where I have grown the most, the growth probably wasn't the byproduct of either watching some really great soap operas, or entire weekends of lying around in my pajamas, so when the thought crosses my mind that something will make me uncomfortable, I follow up with the question, "Will it make me better?" If the answer is yes, it's time to jump in and get uncomfortable!
And to my children, I'm sorry, but ....you'll thank me some day
