Embracing the Suck: A Journey of Growth, Adaptation, and Change
Introduction
As a corporate wellness consultant and personal trainer, I've encountered countless individuals striving for success in various aspects of their lives.
Through my experiences and observations, one principle has remained constant: the inevitability of challenges and the transformative power of embracing them head-on. In a recent podcast episode, I delved into the concept of "embracing the suck," drawing from my own trials and triumphs, as well as insights from sports psychology and military philosophy.
Listen to this episode on Kathie’s Coaching Podcast
What is ‘Embrace The Suck”?
Embracing the suck is not about glorifying hardships or resigning oneself to perpetual struggle. Instead, it's a mindset shift that acknowledges the reality of obstacles while recognizing their potential for growth and resilience. It's about reframing setbacks as opportunities and understanding that the journey to success is paved with moments of discomfort and difficulty.
Adapt to Changing Circumstances
One key aspect of embracing the suck is the willingness to adapt to changing circumstances. In my podcast, I shared the story of my own experience with content creation, where technical issues and setbacks threatened to derail my progress.
Instead of succumbing to frustration, I chose to embrace the suck, recognizing that adaptation was the key to overcoming these challenges. By switching to a new platform and seeking alternative solutions, I was able to navigate the obstacles and continue moving forward.
Adaptation isn't always easy. It requires flexibility, creativity, and a willingness to step outside of our comfort zones. But it's through adaptation that we discover new possibilities and uncover hidden strengths. Whether it's learning a new skill, adjusting to a new environment, or finding innovative solutions to problems, adaptation allows us to thrive in the face of adversity.
Willingness to Revise Our Approach
Another crucial aspect of embracing the suck is the willingness to revise our approach when things don't go as planned. It is important to revisit our goals and strategies, especially when faced with obstacles or setbacks.
Revision isn't about admitting defeat; it's about recognizing that success often requires course corrections along the way. By being open to feedback, willing to learn from mistakes, and committed to continuous improvement, we can refine our approach and increase our chances of success.
Change is Inevitable
But perhaps the most profound aspect of embracing the suck is the recognition that change is inevitable. In my podcast, I shared insights from sports psychology and military philosophy, emphasizing that every success story is a story of constant adaptation, revision, and change. Change can be intimidating, even frightening, but it's also the catalyst for growth and transformation.
In her book Insight, Tasha Eurick tells the story of a client who embraced the concept of "miracle moments," envisioning a future where everything worked out as they desired. This simple exercise in visualization not only helped them clarify their goals but also primed their subconscious mind for success. By embracing the possibility of change and envisioning a positive outcome, they were able to overcome obstacles and achieve their objectives.
Finding Beauty and Growth in the Midst of Challenges
Ultimately, embracing the suck is about more than just enduring hardship; it's about finding beauty and growth in the midst of challenges. It's about recognizing that struggles are not obstacles to success but rather stepping stones along the path. It's about embracing the journey, with all its twists and turns, and finding fulfillment in the process.
Conclusion
I’d like to encourage you to reflect on your own experiences and consider how you could apply the principles of embracing the suck to their lives. Whether facing challenges in your career, relationships, or personal endeavors, I urge you to embrace the journey, knowing that every struggle is an opportunity for growth.
And as you navigate the ups and downs of life, remember you are not alone. With the right mindset and a willingness to embrace the suck, you can overcome any obstacle and achieve your goals.
In closing, I shared my gratitude for the opportunity to connect with my audience and inspire you to embrace the suck. With each challenge we face and overcome, we become stronger, more resilient, and more capable of achieving our dreams. So let's embrace the suck together and embark on a journey of growth, adaptation, and change.
Kathie Owen, Corporate Wellness Professional
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Transcript is Here:
When you embrace the suck, it's a constant journey of adaptation, revision, and change. When you can embrace the suck and embrace those things that are going to happen, you will find you'll fall in love with the journey. Just as much as the destination. If we don't want to undergo any struggle, we won't fly. It's just that simple. Struggles make us shine and they are opportunities in disguise. Think of the transformation that's going to take place while setting this goal. How are you going to face the change? How are you going to face the adaptation? How are you going to face the revision? Embrace the suck. Yeah, I had to do that just recently. Why? Because I switched from descript With all of these bugs, all of the reasons why my content creation was put to a halt because I kept hitting things that were not working for me, and then I switched to Riverside. I learned to embrace the suck during that awful time. Messing up my content creation and that's what we're going to talk about today. You're listening to Kathie's coaching podcast I'm your host Kathie Owen. Yeah, I had to embrace the suck and it was not good I actually got depressed when I kept hitting a wall, even after buying a brand new computer, I still hit bugs in Descript. And I was in my mastermind and talking about my issues that I was having, how it was, Stopping my flow how it was messing up things, but i'm one that really believes that When things like that happen, it's my intuition telling me. Hey, take a step back sit down relax Reload and go back to it because I always find something that works out better and this relates so much to my speech on Embrace the Suck. Embrace the Suck is a sports psychology term. It's a military term. Where we talk about bad things are going to happen, they're just going to happen. It's just part of life. It's part of the challenge of things. If it was easy, everybody'd be doing it. As a personal trainer, I can attest to this over and over and over again with all of my clients. And now as a corporate wellness consultant, I see this happen so many times, but it helps to reframe the situation. Every success story is a story of constant adaptation, revision, and change. This is the nutshell of Embrace the Suck. Because adaptation, revision, and change are not easy. It's not just gonna come easy. If we don't want to undergo any struggle, we won't fly. It's just that simple. Struggles make us shine and they are opportunities in disguise. So when I was hitting these bumps in the road with my content creation, I got what I call losing amnesia, which is something that athletes get when they're in a losing streak. It's Have you heard about my astros? Yeah, they were doing good for about five minutes and then it's all downhill from there. Always. And that's just going to happen. But I still love them. I still love creating content. I'm not gonna let that Struggle that I hit, hold me back. So I want you to think of setting a goal of something you'd like to accomplish. Think of the transformation that's going to take place while setting this goal. How are you going to face the change? How are you going to face the adaptation? How are you going to face the revision? Well, that's what we're talking about today. You know, I was listening to the book Insight. Can't remember the author's name. Sorry, I'll put it up here or I'll put it down in the link in the description below, but she talked about something really cool and I think that this little thing The first story that she talked about is a major game changer in embracing the suck. She talked about what is called a miracle moment. And she said that what one of her clients did was they went to bed and at night they thought. What would happen if a miracle came in tonight and everything worked out the way I wanted it to? There's so many good things that go along with this little story that it's going to take a while to unfold this but it will work. First of all, there is revision taking place when you do this, and revision is best done right when you go to bed at night, because you're telling your subconscious mind what you want to happen. If you think of anything, A miracle moment just coming in and everything worked out. You're already telling your subconscious mind that that is what happened. Subconscious mind takes everything literally. Now, sometimes this may not happen right away in the very moment. But it will happen and it will change through. That is the revision part that I like to think about when it comes to setting a goal or something that I really, really want to achieve. And actually I did this. So it was Sunday night and I'm thinking, what would be my miracle moment for my content creation that I really need to hone in on, work on? And I thought, well, I don't know. What would it be? I've often thought, what are the differences between Descript and there's got to be another video editing service out there. And so I go to my, my, uh, mastermind meeting and inside that meeting, I spoke about how I was struggling with these little glitches here and there. Lo and behold, inside the mastermind. Chat, there comes up. Hey, look, Kathie go look at this article. It was like seven different alternatives to Descript. And this one was the first one, Riverside. And I downloaded it and I signed up for free. And today I'm recording this video on there. That to me was part of the miracle moment because I kept thinking, I've got to, I've got to get this done. If I don't get on camera. I'm going to look like I'm afraid to talk and I love public speaking. I have absolutely no issues with it. I get excited when I'm asked to do this and I need that to shine through on camera because as a corporate wellness professional, that's what I do. That's going to be asked of me, that's going to be needed to be done. So that was my miracle moment that I set in process for revision when I started embracing the suck.. So that's revision. There's change and there's adaptation as well. I like to call myself a change management person because I help people embrace change and realize that. Change is a good thing instead of a bad thing and change is taking you out of your comfort zone. And when we go out of our comfort zone, we get scared and our brains tell us, Oh, no, no, no, no, don't go there. And actually I was listening to a podcast today. The Futr was talking to somebody and it said statistics show that 95%, 95 percent of people will back away from change rather than going through the process. That's a scary number, and that's holding us back. 95%. That means only 5 people out of 100 are going to embrace change, embrace the suck, and go through it. We're sitting on acres of diamonds, but you're not going to find them if you don't embrace change. Don't embrace the suck. It's really not as scary as we think. Like the quote says, The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek. I've seen that happen in my life so many times. And then there's adaptation. So we've got to adapt to this new environment that we are seeking or that we are stuck in, maybe even. It takes adaptation to get out of that. Look at the professional athlete. I remember when the Astros, they won the 2017 World Series, and then they were accused of cheating. And it was such a sad, yucky moment. And for years, four years after that, World Series Championship. We had an asterisk by our name. When somebody would come up to bat, they would be booed. My favorite athlete of all time is Jose Altuve. I love his endurance. I love his stamina. I love how he stands up to this uncomfortable spot. And that's what it takes to be an athlete today, because you're gonna be uncomfortable. It's just going to happen and when you can embrace that, when you can embrace being booed as an athlete and still thrive and actually do better because he would be booed and he would do better. We did better at away stadiums because they thrived on what most people would go. That just sucks. They embraced the suck. Jose Altuve embraced the suck. So remember, when you embrace the suck, it's a constant journey of adaptation, revision, and change. When you can embrace the suck and embrace those things that are going to happen, you will find you'll fall in love with the journey. Just as much as the destination. All right. That's my episode for today. I trust that you found it helpful. If you know somebody who could benefit from this, please share it with them. And until next time, I will see you next time. Peace out and Namaste. Bing
