When you most want to quit, don't

Running is painful.

Sure, every runner lives for those moments of glory where the endorphins are kicking in and it feels like flying. But there are lots of times where your muscles ache and your lungs burn and you’re hungry and sweaty.

There are times when you’re huffing and puffing and it's tempting to slow to a walk. My rule has always been, "no walking until you get to the top of the hill." If you’re still in agony when you hit that goal, fine. But not until then.

Growth isn't linear. Sometimes it feels like you're slogging away at something, such as playing barre chords on the guitar, and you don't seem to be getting anywhere. But the breakthrough will eventually come, and then you haven't learned just one barre chord -- you've made it easy to suddenly learn dozens. 

And by the time you get to the top of the hill, you might as well keep running. 

We want to quit when it's painful -- but that's probably when the most growth is happening and the work is about to pay off.

I find countless examples of this phenomenon in life. It's all too tempting to quit something that doesn't seem to be yielding results, but the rewards of sticking with it can be incredible. I've seen this to be true with running a business, knitting, yoga, gardening, and Michael Schur TV shows. If you push through the not-as-great part, you find yourself in the great part before long.

Everyone needs to take a break sometimes. Take a break if you must — but get back in there. Don’t avoid doing the scary thing. Lean into it and crush it. You’ll be glad you did.