It Doesn't Always Feel Good

July 16, 2025

IT DOESN'T ALWAYS FEEL GOOD

Talking in front of an audience. The squat rack. That hard conversation you need to have. The decision you need to make that isn't quite "win-win." That job interview or big presentation at the quarterly meeting. But having done it makes us better. Having gone through it builds us up. It is from performance coach Greg Harden, who’s coached gold medalists, first round NFL draft picks, Tom Brady and Michael Phelps that we get the following, "don't go through it, grow through it."

Performers in any industry or sport still go through the motions of something not feeling good. The constant rehearsal or practice. Training camp in the dog days of summer. The diets. The strict routines and schedules. They also get nervous before a performance. Butterflies still fill their stomach. They pace hallways. They vomit in bathrooms or near by trash cans. It doesn't always feel good. But quitting is not an option.

That feeling is our old self morphing into this new person that does hard things. It's a caterpillar crystalizing itself in its cocoon, to then hatch and be a butterfly. That feeling is what growth feels like: Wanting to quit is our minds telling us to, for survival, but its a lie.

Yes, it's hard to ignore those signs and messages from our brains. However, it takes practice and patience to understand what your body and mind are going through in order to recognize it and respond accordingly. It gets easier the more we practice it, but the challenges in front of us get harder. It doesn't always feel good, especially at the start.

Spend some time today thinking about how you'll feel once you start? Or, how you'll feel when you finish.