Plug Your Nose and Eat It

A few weeks ago I walked in to the kitchen to see my six year old daughter eating her dinner with a chip clip on her nose. Clearly what was on the menu that night was not her favorite. Although she was alone in the kitchen, she chose to muscle through and eat her food rather than throw it into the garbage disposal when no one was looking.?

The Principle

I don’t believe that people dislike doing hard things. If we did, we’d never wake up at 4:00 am to go for a run, move across the country for a job or fight for a relationship we care deeply about. I do believe that people dislike being changed. In other words, we’re more likely to run toward the change we choose and resist the change that’s inflicted on us.?

Sometimes building trust and connection is hard because we have to change something about who we’re being or what we’re doing (or both.) What makes us more likely to run toward it is holding the vision of what it will look like on the other side of the hard.

My daughter knows good food makes her strong and healthy even though she doesn’t love how it tastes all the time. We know building trust and human connection makes a positive difference in our culture. When the end state is worth it, we plug our nose and muscle through the hard.?

The Practice

As you identify changes you’d like to make in yourself that will allow you to build greater trust and human connection with those around you, here are a couple of ideas to nudge you along:

1. Paint the picture of the end state. What does it look and feel like after you’ve done the hard work? What benefit do you and others receive?
2. Identify the first step in the hard work. Maybe it’s putting your running shoes by the bed. What daily nudge can you give yourself that will make you more likely to engage in the hard work that will carry you to your vision?

What other ideas come to mind that could help you choose the change you know you want to make?

Till next time,

dm