Embrace the Suck

When my alarm went off this morning, I didn’t want to get up. I texted my workout partner, saying, “I am strongly considering trading sprint day for more sleep.” Pretty eloquent for 5 am, right?

His response to me, “embrace the suck.” This is a mantra we picked up while training for GORUCK events. Embrace the suck means recognizing what you are about to do will suck, but it’s necessary, so it’s better to embrace it than fear it.

Embracing the suck is about recognizing we must endure pain for growth. It’s about purposefully moving into situations that are uncomfortable, difficult, and even painful, knowing that on the other side is something better.

Embracing the suck isn’t easy. It’s a choice I have to make day by day and moment by moment. It is a choice that gets easier. If I’m able to roll out of my comfy bed and embrace the suck at 5 am, it becomes easier to embrace the suck later in the day when I need to have a tough conversation or crank out a difficult task. Every time I’m willing to embrace the suck to get to that next level, it makes the next time just a little easier.

Embracing the suck is embracing my future desires over my current ones. My desire to be in shape in the future overcomes my desire to stay in bed. It’s easy to get caught up in the present as if it is all we will ever have. But, prioritizing the present over the future isn’t how to build a great life and make a difference in this world.

To create a great future, we must do the things necessary to grow for tomorrow. Those things will be tough. Those things will produce pain. You won’t want to do it in the moment. When the time comes for you to choose, embrace the suck!

Photo by Charles 🇵🇭 on Unsplash

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