The Power of Simple Beginnings

Feeling stuck or overwhelmed? Discover the power of showing up—every single day.

In this inspiring episode, we dive into Colin O’Brady’s “The Impossible First” and explore how endurance shapes our lives. From crossing Antarctica alone to overcoming daily mental health challenges like ADHD and rejection sensitivity dysphoria, we discuss what it really means to persist when life feels tough. Drawing wisdom from marathon champions and ancient philosophers, you’ll hear practical advice for embracing your personal journey—even when progress seems slow.

Key takeaways:
- Endurance is often more important than solving every problem.
- Showing up daily is a victory in itself.
- Accepting chronic struggles can lead to greater self-compassion.

Tune in now for motivation and actionable insights that will help you face whatever comes your way!

Recently, I reread a book called The Impossible First by Colin Brady. Subtitled "From Fire to Ice: Crossing the Antarctic Alone," this is a story of a young man who was the first person to cross Antarctica, dragging behind him a sled, going from one end to the other, thinking about his journey. Fascinating book. I would recommend it.

Thinking about what I see with clients from week to week and the reality that part of life, just about part of the schooling of life, is endurance. The true problems in life never seem to be fully solved. I don't think they're meant to be. It's the incessant working at them that has a tendency to give life its meaning.

And drawing again upon one of my favorite quotes from Heraclitus, Greek philosopher: "No man ever steps into the same river twice because it's not the same river and he's not the same man."

In Colin Brady's book, he talks about Des Linden. She was the first American woman to win the Boston Marathon in 33 years and she did that in 2018. And she says this: "Some days it just flows and I feel like I'm born to do this." And she's speaking about running. "Other days it feels like I'm trudging through hell. Every day I make the choice to show up and see what I've got and try and be better."

So he was in the middle of his trek across Antarctic and I think the story is that his father texted him, feeling like his kid needed a little encouragement. And Colin Brady said, "I read it again and then again and it kept coming back to the four words in the middle: Every day show up." That suddenly felt like an important key.

If the arc of my journey was really taking me to someplace beyond the known world, that spot on the map that had touched me and came back and haunted me then, every day, every step was important. And it also meant that every day was its own fight. And there, there's deep snow.

If there's deep snow or frostbite or emotional demons, you show up and see what you've got and that's maybe how you get to the end. It was a sentiment my dad himself would say and live by, that the good fight itself was the victory and that the smallest moments of life say the most about who we are inside.

And I think about some of the issues that we deal with, especially mental health issues. Some of them truly tend to be chronic. I was thinking of an individual that I'm working with who struggles with pretty significant ADHD. Part of ADHD that many don't understand is that a large number of individuals who have ADHD have something that's called rejection sensitivity dysphoria, meaning they are hypersensitive to any form of perceived rejection.

And this perceived rejection is really an end—it's a perception problem. It's not really accurately what's happening in the world around them; they interpret it as so. And this rejection sensitivity is so catastrophic that it is a core issue that they need to deal with continually.

I was listening to a fairly famous podcast—I mean, he's been very successful podcasting—and he said something the other day: "Notwithstanding how successful I've been, I still struggle from time to time with feeling like I'm just not good enough. I'm just not succeeding." And then he comes back and he confronts those thoughts.

Something called rational emotive therapy or DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy)—that's the treatment to address these core beliefs. Basically, you have an event, you have a belief, and then you have a response to the belief. The belief itself is the problem.

The issue with those who have ADHD—a large portion of them—is that this rejection sensitivity dysphoria is genetic. It's inborn, and it's just not going to change. It's their thorn in the flesh, and it will be there throughout life. It doesn't mean that they cannot make progress, but nothing—there's no form of therapy—that is just going to take that away. It's just who they are; it's in their DNA; it's in their genetics.

And so it's just something that they're going to have to deal with, and that's okay.

So—and it can be likened into each one of us—whatever our particular thorn or thorns in the flesh are, it's a part of our journey; it's a part of what we deal with.

So look inside yourself and be okay with who you are. And work this week on trying not to demand that the world respond to the way you want it to—that you need it to be—because it never will be.

Things do not turn out the way we want them to—hardly ever—and when you have little moments when they actually do, just rejoice in those moments. Have fun.

Otherwise, continue to get up, suit up, show up, and just see what you got today.

Do the very best you can today.

Use that as a mantra to live by: Get up, show up, put your shoes on, go to work. Do the very best you can today.

Have an amazing week.