Hard things are what we make of them

We drove up the west coast of Ireland a couple weeks ago after a friend's wedding and stopped in a national park to stretch our legs on one of our long driving days.

It had been raining hard that morning and we bundled fully prepared for it to start coming down again on our walk.

We parked and made our way down to the trailhead and started along the loop.

It felt good to stretch our legs and see the wild beauty of the stark tundra-esque landscape.

Eventually we got to a decision point in the trail where we either continued on the same loop back down or went another three miles straight up to the top of a peak overlooking the coastline.

I assumed it wasn't even a decision. We had already been driving for a couple hours and still had a couple more to go with some other stops we were planning to make. We simply didn't have the time to do the extra hike.

Apparently that was not evident and my partner surprised me by assuming we were absolutely going to climb the mountain.

After my protestations about how I was already tired, he convinced me that we'd likely only be there once, there was enough time and we should just fucking do it, cause why not!?

So we did

And a steep ass three miles it was. Basically straight up again and again and again until you thought there's absolutely no way we're not yet at the top already!

Along the way it rained and stormed. I slipped a couple times and we both almost got blown off the side of the mountain. It was so windy!

There were moments I doubted our decision.

There were moments I was tired and my legs burned.

There were moments I just wanted to turn around.

But mostly, I was so freaking happy!

Even with my lungs on fire and my legs aching, with my face stinging from wind and rain, I found myself running and jumping, climbing up stone staircases and smiling about how pretty it was when of course the clouds parted and the view was amazing!

Hard things are what we make of them.

We can complain and doubt our decision the whole way

We can constantly go back and forth about whether we should turn around

We can get stuck in the struggle of how hard one step is instead of moving through the discomfort of that step and letting the momentum of each step propel us forward

Or we can go all in, commit, not look back and enjoy the damn ride.

Whatever your current mountain is, how can you find the joy and aliveness exactly where you are? That's all I mean when I talk about letting pleasure lead your life.

If you're on a mountain with the wind in your face and the rain in your eyes, all you can do is throw your head back and cackle and keep putting one foot in front of the other

On the side of the mountain is not the time to hum and hah. Once you get to the top, you get to look back and look forward. Assess your current position and decide where you want to go next.

Because even though you won't stay on the top of this mountain forever, climbing this mountain wasn't a mistake. It was preparing you for what's to come.

Pleasure as Medicine is about so much more than you think. It's really truly about making the very most of your life just as it is right now and from that place, getting clear on what you want so that you can be a stand for your own desires.

You get to have the job, the family, the fulfillment, the relationship and adventure you desire, but that all happens by learning to make your life, exactly as it is right now, feel amazing, storms, mountains and all.

This skill set has the power to transform the rest of your life and I can't wait to help you practice it in a supportive community of women for six weeks!

Review all the deets and get in touch if you want to chat before you make the leap