It can be a conflicting message, really. I have two mottos or principles that I want to be able to live out my life with:
It feels good to feel good.
Make the hard things easy.
I want to both feel good and also be able to do difficult things easily.
And yes, they do seem like they are in alignment with each other, they can also seem opposed to one another as well. After all, If I can easily do difficult things, that may help me to be able to feel good. But after all, if I expose myself to difficult things or if I’ve yet to make difficult things easy, then that might not feel all that good at all, especially in the short game.
It’s almost like saying, “Shut up and tell me what I want to hear,” right?
Anyway, I’ve learned a great deal since I stumbled across these life principles I’ve adopted.
I’ve learned I had no idea how true or “how big” it feels good to feel good really is. And I’ve also learned that when it comes to making hard things easy, I can.
I can.
That’s the lesson. Well, in your case it is “you can.”
Once I realized “I can,” all things began to become easy. There was no stress about it, no panic, no fear. Another way to say “I can” is “I am enough.”
Again, knowing this almost makes difficulties fade away. Arduous tasks become nothing more than a flow of steps. Difficult situations become nothing more than an opportunity for growth or strength to be born. Knowing “I am enough” or “I can” takes the realization of “it feels good to feel good” to a whole new level. It takes you to the level where your two life mottos grow into
It feels amazing to feel amazing
I can, I am enough
These are the two higher principles I’ve been walking towards.
The funny thing is, I’m not even sure I realized that until I sat down to write this article. How about that?
But just to leave you with some physical applications of how you can feel good to feel good and how you can make the hard things easy, so that you know “you can,” I’m going to share three things you can physically do to make hard things easy so you can feel good.
Breathe through your nose, with your lips closed - Learning how to master this, no matter what you are physically doing, will change your life and make everything physically easier. Funny thing is that it makes everything emotionally easier as well. I could share a lot of fancy science about how it makes your core stronger or how it makes your heart more efficient or how it even balances the state of your nervous system, but I don’t need to do all of that. Trust me, but don’t. Try this and learn it for yourself.
Hum - whatever you are doing. If you are training, lifting, or folding clothes, hum. Humming makes things easier to do. It makes both heavy weights and heavy circumstances a little bit lighter. Your lifts will go up and so will your spirit. I could share some research with you about how humming increases nitric oxide production in your body and helps with blood flow to your muscles or how it actually helps your brain create new neural connections, but I don’t need to do all of that. It’s just better if you try it and see how you feel, whether or not it works for you.
Smile - When you train, if you want to make heavy things lighter and easier to move, smile. If you want to make your body feel better and “more free,” smile. When you feel down and out, sad or mad, smile. Smiling simply helps you move better. I could tell you how it releases neurotransmitters that make you feel good or how it even infects those around your and lifts their emotions as well, but more fun than reading that is discovering it for yourself. Smile when you train, when you’re in pain, or even in the rain. It changes everything.
If you want the big trifecta, do all three at the same time. Keep your tongue on the roof of your mouth, breathe through your nose, hum on the exhale, and smile all the while.
Yes, I’m gunning to be the next Dr. Seus. There was truth laced in his writings too.
Anyway, I know all of this sounds a bit far fetched, but I'm good with that. I’m just inviting you to try these things and see what you discover. There is a chance you discover two wonderful notions:
It feels amazing to feel amazing
I can, I am enough