Recently my friend Johan gave me one of his artworks that’s now up on my wall where I work.
In big letters, it says “The Only Way Out is Up.”
A lot of the times we find ourselves facing a challenge. A big task ahead, a short time constraint, a difficult conversation.
And when we find ourselves here, it’s tempting to back away. Distraction, find something more palatable, or create reason or “logic” as to why we can’t move forward or why we need to wait longer.
At the end of the day though, we still have the same challenge. Perhaps it was avoided in that moment, but a new one presents around the corner. Maybe it’s the same one, or maybe it’s dressed slightly differently – it doesn’t matter so much.
Whether you choose to delay, stall, or pass the buck for a while, there comes a point where we eventually see the only option is to deal with what is in front of us. To move up, through the challenge.
At the end of the day, the only way out is up.
