Tough Times Don’t Last: Five Important Keys to Thriving through the Squeeze

Any woman who’s gone through labor gets this…sometimes to get to what you really want, you’ve got to put up with and move through a great deal of pain. But once you’ve held your baby in your arms, it all seems worth it. I try to remember this when I’m going through what I call ‘the squeeze.’

The squeeze is that period of time when you are working to create some change in your life and you bump into the reality that YOU’RE the one who’s going to have to change for this to come to fruition. It's not the husband, it's not the job, it's US. And that little nugget of awareness is vital.

And even though you know it will be a good change, it's possible, even likely, that the process is going to hurt like crazy! Mothers know this - you want so much to hold that baby in your arms, but before that happens, it's going to get messy. It's going to be painful. You'll want to stop the process. (If only!) But no, to get to the prize, we have to go through the process.

Are you like me? I sometimes think that if I’m doing everything ‘right’ that my path will be smooth and easy. That’s probably my “happily ever after” thinking. It’s fantasy, the stuff of fairy tales. And trust me, coming to grips with THAT brings about a squeeze in itself!

Fortunately, we can live through the squeezes! Here are some simple keys to THRIVE through them.
Keys for Moving through the Squeeze:

Key #1. Dream. Dream big. Get in touch with what your heart is longing for in this dream…it’s your big why (why you want this particular dream).

Key #2. Know that you will likely experience periods of squeeze, when you think you can’t go on – or don’t want to at any rate. When you want to quit, find one small thing you can do to keep yourself moving forward, and…

Key #3. Be gentle with yourself when the squeeze comes. I promise, it won’t last forever! Remember “This, too, shall pass.”

Key #4. Hold on to the dream, remembering your big why, pray & meditate like mad, ask for help – from the Divine and from friends and loved ones.

Key #5. Be grateful for the reprieves…those times when the squeeze lets up for a little while – celebrate your progress!

The squeezes will come and they will go. Know that each time we move through them, we become stronger. The prize waits for us just beyond the squeeze.