How to Build Resilience: Why You Need a Daily Dose of Challenge

Photo by Theresa Furbank

Learn how to challenge yourself daily.

Convenience, ease, safety… these are all wonderful achievements. To live in comfort and safety is to celebrate all that we as humans have achieved and built for ourselves, actively stepping away from the hardship of earlier times.

There can be, however, too much of a good thing.

Comfort breeds complacency and an unwillingness to face adversity. It's comfortable to avoid difficult emotions, seek distraction, or surrender to inaction when the alternative is physically challenging.

Ask yourself this: Will this decision serve me in the long run?

Comfort should be enjoyed, sprinkled amongst opportunities to challenge yourself. Move forward, then take a rest. Embrace the difficult moments on the road to your goals, but once you reach a milestone, take your foot off the gas for a moment to celebrate it. This is an integral balance.

Hustler's mindset, as they call it, dictates that there is shame in not constantly driving ourselves forward. Shame should never be a part of what we are willing let drive us. This activity pattern often leads to burnout in so many people. The opposing mentality seeks happiness, positivity and comfort 100% of the time. The healthy answer lies somewhere in between.

Do not shy away from difficulty, for it is only in these times you build resilience. Nor should you shy away from the good things in life, but rather enjoy them fully in the moments they arrive. Cultivate a healthy relationship with challenge, whether that’s optional or enforced. Embrace discomfort as you would an old friend. You don’t have to see it every day, but when it arrives, it’s there to teach you something. Comfort doesn’t teach, it only entices.

The darkness is the only reason the light exists.

Today, I challenge you to begin a new habit to add a dose of difficulty to your day. As you do, you will naturally build an opportunity for you to stay in integrity with yourself. Each day, I want you to prove to yourself that you can push through anything.

DAILY HABITS THAT BUILD RESILIENCE & INTEGRITY:

• Drink 10 cups of water
• Walk 10,000 steps
• Meditate for 15 minutes
• Get up at 4am
• Squat/Pull-up/Push-up/Burpee set
• Cold plunge
• Go for a run
• Write your feelings down

Choose an action from the list, or create your own. Follow through with this action, every day, for a minimum of two weeks. With consistent action, you can build the most solid foundation. The biggest leaps start with the smallest habit changes, one step at a time. If you falter, get back up and try again. Consistency trumps perfection every single time! What matters the most is that you keep moving forward.

A daily dose of challenge is life changing when it’s applied correctly. Don’t be afraid of it.