Sometimes, life hands us tasks that feel like they’re designed to test our patience, our resilience, and even our sanity.

I remember the first time I had to pay state excise tax for my business. 

I'd always used an accountant for my personal taxes, but this time, for my business, there wasn’t time to ask. My accountant was up to his eyeballs in tax prep for his other clients. 

I knew I had to figure it out myself.

I was afraid of doing it wrong — and of being penalized and fined. But I took a breath, logged into the system, and to my relief, I discovered the forms were WAY simpler than the usual federal or state income tax forms. Completing them wasn’t so bad after all.

Suddenly, I could reframe the story. 

This wasn’t a task I had to dread; it was me learning how to do it for next year.

Think of a time when you felt overwhelmed — maybe even paralyzed by the fear of making a mistake. Now imagine flipping the script. 

Instead of seeing the task as a burden, what if you saw it as an opportunity? A chance to learn, grow, and become more prepared for the future?

Picture this: you think of your problem or situation, and your stomach’s in knots, you feel anxious or scared. 

Then, instead of spiraling, you think, “This is my trainer at the gym, making me stronger,” or “This is my teacher, and I’m learning how to handle this for next time.”

When you shift your thinking to something positive (“I’m learning”), everything changes — how you feel, how your body responds, and ultimately, how you tackle the task.

That’s where the magic lies. When we embrace the “yucky” tasks as learning opportunities, they lose their power to stress us out. 

It’s not about getting it perfect the first time — it’s about learning along the way, knowing that next time, you’ll be stronger and more capable.

So, next time you face a daunting task, ask yourself: what can I learn here? How will this make future me more prepared, more knowledgeable, and more resilient? 

Because even in the messiest, most frustrating tasks, there’s a hidden gift waiting to be uncovered. And that gift is you becoming better, wiser, and more confident.

I’d love to hear about an experience when you flipped the script and changed your thoughts and emotions — or about a challenge you want to flip!

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