If you’re like most people your knee jerk reaction when things get hard is to give up. Our primal brain likes it when life is on auto-pilot, because we don’t have to spend energy on thinking and making decisions.

Facing and overcoming obstacles will shape your life into one that is deeper, full of more meaning and richer with experience. So here’s some advice on what to do when the going gets rough…

Just because something is difficult, or hard, doesn’t mean it’s not worth doing. In fact, it’s usually the opposite - the more challenging something is the bigger the reward is on the other side.

So the first thing you have to face is this: How good are you at failing?

When you try to do something hard, you’ll have to accept that you’ll try some things that won’t work. For example if you’re starting a new workout plan you may try a certain lift, and not actually be able to complete it. Or that new diet you just started may leave you feeling tired and weak… Failing should be expected, and is a normal part of the process.

Failing at something allows us to know what’s not working, so that we can make any necessary adjustments and try again. But if you just give up at the 1st, 2nd, 3rd time of failing you may never reach your goal.

Once you’ve mastered the skill of failing, you’ve learned how to learn from your mistakes and how to be persistent. The next thing to tackle is your motivation.

You’ve picked a goal for yourself, and now working towards that goal has gotten hard. Understand your reason Why, and you’ll understand your motivation.

Why did you pick this goal? What is it about reaching this goal that is important to you? What will you get from reaching this goal?

With determination and motivation, it is not longer a questions of IF you reach your goals but HOW you reach your goals.

Now create a mantra, or a short phrase, you can tell yourself when your motivation goes away… and it will! We can’t expect motivation to be consistent, it’s just an emotion. So remind yourself of your reason WHY with a mantra.

For example: I work to feel great, and to do great things. My mantra is: You’re better than that. And when I don’t want to do that strength complex, or push in the last minute of a bike sprint I tell myself my mantra.

Make reaching your goals non-negotiable. No compromising. The next time something hard presents itself, thank that opportunity as a way to make you an even better version of yourself.