4 Things You Can Do to Get Through Difficulties

Strength and talent won't get you to the finish line. You need toughness—the perseverance to get you through the difficult times.

Here are 4 things to help you:

1. Accept failure as part of the path.

You'll have to fail your way to success. You can't get it right 100% of the time. There will be mistakes—some you could have avoided, some you could not have possibly prepared for.

Failure is part of the path because in order to move forward, in order to achieve your biggest dreams, you'll have to step out of your comfort zone. You have to walk unfamiliar roads, fall into pits, get bruises—and get lessons too.

So before you give yourself a huge dream to chase, you have to fully accept that failure is part of the path. That's the fastest way to recover when failure does come—the small ones and the big ones. You've expected it. You've accepted it. The only thing left to do is to get up and keep going.

2. Become the person who perseveres.

James Clear says that a shift in identity can help you make habits stick. You have to become the person who does the habits you want to build. And you have to truly believe that new identity.

It's the same with virtues. Become the person who perseveres. Give yourself that identity.

One of the things that helps me embrace an intentional identity is through affirmations. Write in your journal every morning:

I am someone who perseveres. I am tough. I am resilient. I can get through whatever obstacle life throws at me.

3. Add inconveniences into your daily life.

Solidify that identity with actions. By adding inconveniences to your day, you're training your body and your mind to become comfortable with being uncomfortable. Train that muscle, and you get tougher. More resilient.

When bigger challenges come, you don't need to summon willpower from the depths. It's easy to activate.

4. Have a reason.

When you're at your lowest point—exhausted, close to feeling hopeless and giving up—you're going to need a reason to keep going. Something to reignite the fire. To draw strength from.

Make sure you bring something to remind you why you're doing this. Why you're sacrificing so much. Why you're letting this difficulties into your life.

Write the reason in your journal. Or design a wallpaper for your phone with that quote to remind you everyday. Or create a vision board that you can have displayed in your workspace.

To get through difficulty, you need mental, physical, and emotional toughness. Because what you think, what you do, what you believe, and what you live for all reflect and determine who you are.