Life is difficult. There is no way around it. In the face of a hard challenge you have two choices: avoid or approach the problem.

Avoidance is my natural tendency when faced with hard things. So, I can tell you, first hand, that avoiding the problem makes it so much worse. For example, let’s say you have to have a difficult conversation with a loved one or friend and you postpone over and over again. Every time you see this person, and probably in between seeing them, you get this gnawing feeling about the awkwardness of the situation to the point that it disturbs your peace. And, you let it keep happening until you either give up or finally get the courage to speak. We all know in a situation like this that it would save you so much time to just get it over with already.

Approaching the situation puts you in a place of power and assertion. You won’t be able to control the outcome of the situation, but you can protect your peace and, at the same time, free yourself of burdensome emotions.