Tho, over time, when we stop avoiding and distracting ourselves, we begin the necessary process of change. Over the years I have been asked a version of this question by almost all my clients “Why should run headfirst into the crap I’ve worked so hard to avoid, what do I get out of facing myself”? At first? Usually more of the same, feeling reactive, irritable, and overwhelmed. This is what it means to be human we don’t need to feel ashamed or hide this version of ourselves. We all experience pain, stress, feel overwhelmed and generally feel beat up from time to time. That’s the brave thing to do… We can know the nature of dislike, shame, and embarrassment and not believe there’s something In her book When things fall apart, she writes “Rather than letting our negativity get the better of us, we could acknowledge that right now we feel like a piece of shit and not be squeamish about taking a good look. A Buddhist nun named Pema Chodron, is not afraid to call it like it is. This is not for the faint of heart, it takes bravery and compassion to sit with things we’d much rather avoid. When we stop and look, we can be introduced to the most unpleasant part of ourselves, the ugly, angry, and worst versions of who we are. You may be asking, why is it so uncomfortable? Because it can be scary that’s why! It can be terrifying to stop looking at everything out there and look at what’s really happening inside. Let’s face it, any kind of change is usually uncomfortable in the beginning. Learning to Embrace the Suck in life is important when we need to work through uncomfortable things without the expectation that it will be unicorns and rainbows right away.

This phrase has been around for decades, possibly originating in the military but the concept is universal.

Embrace the suck