Hi there. My name is Avil Beckford and I am the host of The One Problem podcast. And as most of you know by now, most of the people who come on this podcast, I have some prior relationship with them. So this week we have a fun guest. Her name is Siera Sambrosky. And get a load of this. I still cannot even get over it. She is an evolution alchemist and an action sage. How cool is that? Over to you, Siera.

Siera Sambrosky

Well, thank you so much for having me here, Avil. I wanted to talk to everybody about something that every one of us has as a problem at some point or another. And it's Struggle. We all have found ourselves in some sort of place where we are struggling with something, whether it's internal or external, at some point in our lives. And most people are looking for a way to make that process easier. And so the first thing that I offer as part of the way to move through that struggle and make it easier is acknowledge it.

So many of us often are going to try to just keep pushing forward. Or maybe we have some guilt or shame around our struggle and so we're not even acknowledging that it's real. We make judgments and comparisons to others and think this shouldn't be a big deal for me or my struggle isn't as real as somebody else's.

The One Problem with Siera Sambrosky

But the important thing for you really is to fully acknowledge it. Because as long as we're suppressing that part of what our experience is in the moment, then you are only going to find yourself in a holding pattern and staying in that struggle even longer. And that's definitely not what we want to do. Right. The next piece of this process of getting ourselves through the struggle is very much related. It's around acceptance. Sometimes we can find ourselves in these places. Sometimes it's a repeating pattern.

Siera Sambrosky

So we can keep lamenting and looking back at all how we keep finding ourselves here. Well, that is not being in a place of acceptance. And so the idea around acceptance is not that you have to say, oh, this is so great, because we've all been in places of struggle. Particularly if it's been a long one, and we're saying, I don't want one more person to tell me, I'm sure there's a good reason for this. Or I'm sure there's some good cup that's going to come from this. Right?

That's not a helpful place of acceptance, especially at the beginning of it. But acceptance is just to stop staying in the feeling that this is always happening to me. Instead, it's saying it's happened and now I need to move forward. So how do you keep getting yourself into this place where it's just a matter of habit? Keep monitoring and keeping awareness around the idea of monitoring our own thoughts and what we're saying out loud about our situation.

Have you read or watched?

1. 3 Empowering Questions to Overcome Stuckness with Caroline Ferguson
2. Barbara Feigin: Journey Breaking Through Career Barriers
3. Impactful Presentations: Overcoming the Fear of Vulnerability with Meridith Grundei
4. Overcome Sunday Scaries with Jess Harrington, The One Problem Podcast Episode
5. Navigating Insomnia, Anxiety, and Stress with Stephanie Dalfonzo
6. Janice Shokrian: Mastering Time Management Journey to Success with Tausi Pillows
7. Kadine Cooper, Executive Coach and Job Search Advisor
8. Jennifer Mrozek Sukalo, Transformational and Wellbeing Expert
9. Brenda Pearson: Crush Impostor Syndrome & Boost Confidence NOW!
10. Crush Chaos in Life & Work, Master the CHAOS Model with Vitality Coach LaChelle Adkins
11. Mastering Difficult Conversations: Expert Tips from Madeline Schwarz
12. Boost Your Productivity with Professor Margo Berman’s 5-Step Process
13. Overcoming the Gender Confidence Gap with Sheena Yap Chan
14. LaRae Quy, Author of Secrets of a Strong Mind
15. Laura Flessner, Innovation & Leadership Coach
16. Jennifer Regular, The Soul Illuminator
17. Judith Sherven, Executive Coaching for the Brightest and Best
18. Jackie Lyles, C Level Growth Strategies to Maximize Sales
19. Jackie Maclean, Energy Innovator and Clinical Hypnotherapist
20. Leslie Nydick, The Conflict Strategist, How to Lead Inclusive Conversations
21. Holly Jackson, TEDx Speaker, Holistic Leader
22. Kes Morton, President and CEO, Pisces Research Project Management

So when you recognize it, again, no judgment, no criticism or comparison for ourselves, just say, okay, that's not accepting the situation. This is where I am right now, but I am moving forward today. Sometimes it can feel like constantly reminding ourselves to be in acceptance of our situation. The next piece is appreciation. If you can find any tiny piece of appreciation for it. This also helps to move us through it and make it a lot easier.

Siera Sambrosky

And the reality of the situation is that for me personally, I've had times where the only thing that I could find appreciation for was that I had actually grown in the process of being able to ask for help and support. Or to receive help and support. It doesn't have to be a grand thing around appreciation. But just a little appreciation will go a long way, helps move us through. It helps to pick up the energy and get us going in a different direction again. And the last piece that I really wanted to bring through is being able to move through a struggle in our lives is the idea of Resilience.

And so many of us think that resilience is about persistence, that it's getting back up and moving back forward again. But I want to present the idea that part of the resilience that is so important for helping us to move through struggle and actually get something out of it comes in the rest part of resilience. Resilience is more than saying, I'm going to muster through this. Resilience is actually allowing yourself to go into a place of rest. And really have what is happening, all the energies, all that you are learning, all that you all are experiencing, all that you are feeling around it, and find some rest in it.

That's how we actually find resilience. We can't find resilience without finding the space and the time to take some rest. So that's really the final piece to being able to help yourself move through struggle.

Avil Beckford

I love it. I love it. As you were talking and I was listening, it just made so much sense, the progression of acknowledging it, because a lot of times we want to push it under the carpet because we don't want to deal with it right now and acknowledging it. It makes so much sense. The rest piece was a little bit surprising, but when you think about it, it makes sense. Because so many people are talking about resilience.

Siera Sambrosky

Right? Yes.

Avil Beckford

So the rest piece makes a lot of sense.

Siera Sambrosky

Yeah, I know. I think there's a little bit of confusion sometimes around resilience being like, just means that I just push myself through anything and all the things. But that only leads to exhaustion and burnout and more overwhelm. So if we don't calculate in the rest piece of the resilience process, you can't actually build resilience. If you don't, then give yourself some time to rest.

Avil Beckford

Thank you, so much.

Siera Sambrosky

You're welcome. Thank you for having me. This has been good.

Next Steps

Wondering what to do next, you can do all of:

1. Buy my new book, Leadership Reading: Spilling the Tea on How Top Leaders Read

2. Subscribe to my YouTube Channel

3. Join the Art of Learning Membership Site

4. Download Unlock Your Genius Power Reading Tips Sheet

5. Buy me a cup of coffee!

If you want access to my Bookish Notes, please consider joining my membership site, the Art of Learning.

This post contains affiliate links and The Invisible Mentor® may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. For more details see here. Thank you so much for your support!

The post Mastering Struggle: Insights from Siera Sambrosky | The One Problem Podcast appeared first on The Invisible Mentor.