“The more difficult the mountain, the greater the joy in reaching the summit.”

How true I’ve found this to be — how about you? When my friend and mentor Dr. Rob Gilbert* said this, it lifted my heart. It reminded me of what we all know—that hard-fought gains mean the most. The tougher the trial, the sweeter victory.

Why is this true for most of us? Why does an easy win, one we didn’t really earn, so much less satisfying? Could it be because it doesn’t stretch us enough? It doesn’t take us out of our comfort zone?

Let’s consider what a tough win—one that we really have to struggle for does for us as writers, as creatives.

Tough wins give us the chance to take a chance. They often force us to do something we’re not sure we can achieve. To go for a goal that we think is really beyond our reach. And when we do win, we feel stronger, bolder, more sure of ourselves.

Tough wins push us past our self-imposed limitations. We all have ideas about ourselves that encourage us to play small. We all have things other people have told us that can make us feel we shouldn’t log for the gold—for what we really want. But when we achieve a tough win, we come to realize that these limitations are illusions, paper tigers.

Tough wins strengthen our commitment muscle, making us stronger. When we push past our self-imposed limitations and achieve something hard, something we really has to work and struggle for, we build momentum and courage for the next challenge we face.

Tough wins show us that we really scan find opportunity in adversity. When we refuse to quit, when we keep going no matter what it takes, we often find some gold in the midst of the struggle, don’t we? We find that we have more grit, more energy, more courage than we thought.

The bottom line? Tough wins make tough writers. Write on!

*Check out Dr. Rob Gilbert’s latest motivational tips on “The Success Hotline Podcast.”

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