Emily P. Freeman calls it life-draining vs. life-giving. Russ Harris calls it vitality draining vs. life enhancing. And Jody Moore calls it just plain 50/50.  

Emily says it in relation to activities on your list, i.e. look back with intention and get rid of some of the life-draining stuff to make room for more life-giving stuff.

Russ says it with regards to your habits, i.e. are you ready to get out of the pain of vitality draining stuck-ness and make some progress through pain that is life enhancing instead?

And Jody says it about your emotions, i.e. whichever way you look at it, half of it is going to feel awesome and amazing and half of it is going to kind of suck.  You get to decide how you think about it.

Going on a trip?  It’s going to be so fun!  Except for the packing and food planning and the getting there and the laundry when you get home.  Emily says maybe not every trip is necessary – especially the ones where feel more drained than rested.  Let yourself be intentional about the way you spend your time.

Trying to get that job?  It’s going to be so unpleasant!  Except for the better opportunities, and the communication skills, and the networking opportunities.  Russ says it’s pain either way – may as well make it the pain that enhances your life. Let yourself work at habits worth keeping.

Getting married?  It’s going to make so many things easier!  Except for the things it doesn’t: the way you still have to love yourself, the way you have to manage your brain, and some expectations of yourself you’ll probably want to let go of.  Jody says to go ‘all in’ – on the amazing, on the hard, on all of it.  Let yourself decide how to think about it and then feel it all.

What these three masters in their fields are so good at is reminding us that it’s all a choice.  The way we spend our time, the habits we choose to develop, and the emotions we feel during it all.  Is it going to be hard?  Heck yes it is!  And is it going to be so worth it?  100%.  Let’s do hard.

I can’t wait to hear about the hard – and awesome – things you’re choosing.