It’s All Relative
Graduating from college is a great accomplishment. We are very proud of our daughter who just recently graduated from BYU with a Bachelors of Science degree in Psychology. This was not easy but she worked hard at it and was successful. Unfortunately many people feel that a college education is far beyond them and is actually an impossible feat. For others it may be a fear of not being hired for a specific job or not believing one is able to learn a new skill. This is very sad to me. This act of reaching beyond what we think we can do is an essential process in life without which we cannot grow and progress. Our emotional muscles will atrophy and we will be ineffective in coping with life's future challenges.
It has been my observation professionally with many patients I have treated over the years as well as with others in general, that many people crumble with the smallest amount of pressure. It is as if they have not been exposed to adversity and learned how to do hard things. It seems that they over exaggerate minor obstacles in life and treat them as insurmountable roadblocks.
As I have looked a little deeper into these individuals' lives I have noticed that, indeed, they have done little to stretch and grow, have not been willing to take calculated risks and are generally apprehensive about working hard. Consequently, what is considered a small stress for most people, they consider a big stress and can't imagine how things could get any harder.
Looking at my own life, I have noticed that as I have moved forward with challenging endeavors, despite my fears, I have been significantly strengthened to the degree that many subsequent tasks appear quite doable. I have been able to grow and develop which has allowed me to face challenges of far greater difficulty.
Don't fear hard things. Don't be afraid of taking calculated risks. Don't assume that things which are unfamiliar to you are too difficult to accomplish. The only way we grow is by stretching ourselves and doing things that we originally believed we could not do. As we expose ourselves to challenging things, even if we are not successful initially, we learn and grow which enables us to develop the skills necessary to eventually accomplish the task at hand. As we are willing to step out of our comfort zone and take on new challenges we will strengthen our emotional muscles which will enable us to face significant life challenges in the future with much greater ease.