I’ve been honing the business of doing what I don’t feel like doing for decades.

For many years, even now at times, I don’t want to do things that cause me anxiety, introduce challenges, or seem just plain hard.

But avoidance won’t let me off the hook. The voice in my head will say, “F@CK, I STILL didn’t do that thing!” And so I stay the course and refuse to give myself an out, because what I crave more than comfort is the empowering sense of efficacy that comes from doing what I know I need to do.

It’s do it or feel like shit about myself for the rest of the day.

Basically, no matter how difficult the task, hating on myself is a taller order when it comes down to it.

What I’ve learned is that every single thing we do each day is a growth opportunity. We build our character and mature into ourselves with every decision we make. It’s important to choose wisely.

A funny anecdote: I run. Every day. And, for a 43-year-old woman, I run pretty damn fast. When I run by someone on the street or see someone who may have seen me running earlier that day, they’ll often say, “You run like somebody’s chasing you!” I always respond, “Nah, more like I’m chasing me.” They look all sorts of confused.

The important part is that I’m not.

Go ahead. Get you.