Hi guys! Welcome to Episode 665 of the Wildly Successful Lifestyle podcast! Im Heidi and as always, Im glad you’re here! Life is so good when you live it in a very intentional way. And I know sometimes people say that’s too rigid or lighten up a little, but I don’t feel like living intentionally is rigid, I actually find for me it gives me more freedom. And I bet you feel the same way too…..
And that means you’re in the right spot! So sip your coffee or keep going on the stair master or your walk, or enjoy your drive as we work through another mindset shift for the week.
So we have a coffee cup that has the quote words “keep Going” by Winston Churchill. Have you heard that whole quote where he says “When you’re going through hell, keep going.” I saw Eric sending a picture of that cup to a friend of ours who was working on his commercial pilot license and it’s been hard but he is hanging in there and doing really well. That cup has inspired me many days to remember that when things are hard, keep moving forward because if you always stop when things are hard, well you might not get anything accomplished!
A few days ago Eric and I sat down to go over our taxes. Our accountant had sent everything back and wanted us to review it before they filed. For Eric, this is just normal responsible-adult stuff. He’s sitting there reading every single line, sometimes twice, totally calm and focused. God love him.
But Me? Completely different story. It felt like absolute torture. Nails on a chalkboard. Someone blasting loud banging music right in my ear. My whole nervous system was screaming “Get me out of here!” I know I’m being dramatic, but that’s seriously how it felt. And we are getting money back so it shouldn’t be so hard…. But doing taxes are kind of my personal version of hell.
I noticed while Eric was patiently reading every line, going over each little thing calmly, no bother at all, Here I was, fidgeting in my chair, jumping up to “get something” I didn’t really need, checking my phone for no reason at all — anything to avoid just sitting there and dealing with it. It’s really weird though because I was creating all the drama inside my brain, I was causing my heart rate to go up and my head to hurt. I was stressing myself out for absolutely no reason other than taxes have been a pain point for me my whole adult life. So this time it’s not any different. Then I caught myself. In the middle of all that discomfort, I had this little moment where I thought, “Heidi, come on. Get it together. You can and will absolutely sit through this.” You are not that weak, sit up and let’s get through it.”
So I straightened my spine, put my feet on the floor, and I stayed with it. I didn’t love it. I still wanted to be anywhere else. But I did it. We finished the review, and guess what? We actually did find a couple things that were incorrect so it was really good that we did that.
As I was thinking about it later, how I felt and how I didn’t want to go through with it, I thought to myself: What was the other option? Put it off? Procrastinate? Hope it magically gets better if I ignore it? We both know that doesn’t work. Things usually just get heavier, more stressful, and more complicated when we try to avoid them.
And you know, there’s another side to this that I’ve been noticing too. Sometimes the “hell” isn’t just the hard thing staring us in the face — it’s when we keep doing what’s easy even though our inner guidance is quietly (or not so quietly) telling us it’s not what’s right for us.
We stay in the comfortable routine, the distraction, the thing that feels safer in the moment, instead of stepping toward what we know deep down is better for us. Like when I know I need to have that honest conversation or make a change in my business or health, but instead I’ll tidy the house, scroll a little longer, or say yes to something that doesn’t really light me up — just to avoid the discomfort of the “right” next step. It feels easier in the short term, but that inner nudge doesn’t go away. It just gets louder, and the weight builds up.
I’ve done this plenty of times. Doing this podcast, for example — there are weeks where it would be so easy to skip an episode when I’m tired or behind. Or with my health and fitness in my 50s — it’s easier to stay in my cozy little routine without pushing a little harder in the weights or cardio. But my inner voice knows better, and when I do push a little harder, that’s when the good stuff happens and I see and feel those results.
The truth is, both kinds of moments — pushing through the obvious hard stuff like taxes, even when the easy distraction is calling — they train the same muscle. The muscle of not abandoning yourself. Of trusting that you can handle the discomfort and come out stronger on the other side.
I’ve had my share of those seasons too. Building this podcast week after week, figuring out life after leaving the religion I grew up in, navigating all the body changes in my 50s……There are moments when it all feels like too much and every part of you just wants to distract, numb out, or run the other way.
But here’s what I’m learning — and keep learning, because it’s a practice — the only way out really is through. Keeping going doesn’t mean you have to feel amazing or strong while you’re in it. It just means you don’t abandon yourself. You notice when you’re fidgeting or avoiding, or when you’re leaning into what’s easy instead of what’s right, and you gently (or sometimes not-so-gently) say, “I’ve got you. We can feel this. We can keep moving forward anyway.”
That’s the real self-love. Not the pretty Instagram version. The kind that shows up when it’s uncomfortable and stays anyway.
So what helps me actually do this in real time?
I try to catch myself in the moment — that awareness is huge. Then I reframe it a little. Instead of “This is torture and I can’t handle it,” I’ll say something like, “This is temporary. This is me being a grownup, This is building my inner strength.”
I also break it into tiny pieces. With the taxes I didn’t have to love the whole stack of papers. I just had to get through the next page. Then the next one. One breath at a time. Same with choosing the better path over the easy one — just the next small aligned action.
And afterward? I try to celebrate the win, even if it’s small. After we finished the taxes I felt this quiet little pride in myself. Not because taxes are suddenly fun — they’re still not — but because I didn’t let the discomfort run the show. Those little moments add up. They help you trust yourself more and more.
That’s what I want for you too. Whether you’re in a full-on hell season right now or simply dealing with daily annoyances, or maybe you are feeling that pull between what’s easy and what your inner guidance knows is right, your ability to keep going is what creates that wildly successful life. Not a life without challenges, but one where you meet them with courage, grace and a lot of self-compassion.
So here’s my challenge for you this week: Notice where you’re tempted to avoid or put something off — or where you’re choosing the easy path even though something inside is nudging you differently. Catch yourself in that fidgety moment. Straighten your spine. Take a breath. And keep going anyway. You are way stronger than you give yourself credit for. You’ve already made it through every hard day so far — this next one? You’ve totally got it.
If this hit home for you, I’d love it if you shared it with a friend who might need to hear it today. And as always, I’m over here cheering you on. I love you guys, I’ll talk to you in a few days!
