We all have moments where everything feels hard—parenting, food choices, work, motivation. But what if the real problem isn’t the hard?
What if it’s the headline we keep writing about it?
In this episode, we’re talking about how your internal headlines, orientation, and daily anchors shape your progress—or your struggle.
Because it’s not just about effort. It’s about direction.
And if you’re not tethered to the right things, you will drift.
Why “this is hard” might be the most disempowering headline you can carry
How to reorient yourself toward the person you want to become (instead of defaulting to the person you’ve practiced being)
The powerful metaphor of the barn rope in a snowstorm—and why you need a tether too
How to rewrite your mental headlines to pursue results, not relief
If you always lead with “this sucks” or “this is hard,” you’re subconsciously anchoring yourself to the need for relief. That’s why you check out, scroll, snack, or quit. But hard doesn’t have to define your day—or your identity.
Most of us aren’t stuck—we’re just disoriented. We say we want change but keep facing the direction of comfort, distraction, or fear. Progress starts with a pivot. Reorientation is a practice—not a one-time fix.
Life is a blizzard. Without an intentional tether, you’ll get lost. Whether it’s a weekly check-in, a journaling habit, or a goal review—you need something to hold onto when you’re steps away from quitting.
“When hard is the headline, we start subconsciously looking for relief instead of results.”
“You don’t need to try harder. You need to reorient.”
“The tether keeps you from drifting when the storm rolls in.”
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Therapy Gecko
An unlicensed lizard psychologist travels the universe talking to strangers about absolutely nothing. TO CALL THE GECKO: follow me on https://www.twitch.tv/lyleforever to get a notification for when I am taking calls. I am usually live Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays but lately a lot of other times too. I am a gecko.