Stay steady through hardship (S4) S35 E4

Life is full of storms. Some we see coming, others catch us by surprise. But while hardship is guaranteed, our response is not. The real power lies in learning to stay steady — grounded, focused, and unshaken, even when chaos rages around us. Today, we’ll dive into twenty transformational truths that can help you stand firm through life’s toughest seasons, and in the process, discover strength you didn’t even know you had.

🔢 Core Points

1️⃣💡 Hardship is guaranteed; steadiness is a choice. No one gets through life without facing storms. Challenges are inevitable, but how we handle them is what defines us. Steadiness is not about avoiding difficulty, it’s about making a conscious choice to stay grounded instead of letting hardship sweep you away.

2️⃣💭 Being steady doesn’t mean being emotionless. Steadiness doesn’t require you to bury your feelings. It means acknowledging them without letting them take control. True strength is found in balance — allowing emotions to exist while keeping your values and actions intact.

3️⃣🌊 Inner calm is stronger than outer chaos. When everything outside feels like it’s falling apart, cultivating inner peace is your best defense. Meditation, breathing, or prayer create an unshakable calm that no external storm can take away.

4️⃣🔥 Pain passes — strength remains. Every struggle has an expiration date. While pain fades, the resilience you build from going through it becomes a permanent part of who you are. That’s the gift hidden in hardship.

5️⃣⚓ Anchors (faith, values, habits) keep you grounded. Like a ship in a storm, you need anchors. Faith, personal values, and daily habits keep you from drifting into fear and despair. They remind you who you are, even when circumstances try to shake you.

6️⃣📆 Small daily routines build resilience. Big strength is born from small habits. Journaling, exercise, and gratitude practices may feel simple, but they create a foundation that keeps you steady when bigger storms come.

7️⃣🤔 React less, respond more. Quick reactions often come from fear or anger, but steady people pause before they respond. This creates space to choose wisdom instead of regret — and that difference can change everything.

8️⃣🔭 Perspective makes problems smaller. Hardship can feel overwhelming when we’re zoomed in too close. By stepping back and shifting perspective, problems shrink, and solutions become clearer.

9️⃣💪 Struggles reveal hidden strengths. You’ll never know how strong you are until you face something that demands it. Hardship has a way of pulling out abilities and resilience you didn’t know you carried.

🔟🌳 Storms grow deeper roots. Trees grow stronger roots when battered by storms. Likewise, hardship deepens your character, giving you roots that allow you to withstand even greater challenges in the future.

1️⃣1️⃣🙏 Gratitude steadies the heart in turmoil. When life feels overwhelming, focusing on gratitude shifts your attention from loss to blessings. Even in hard times, gratitude creates hope and steadiness.

1️⃣2️⃣🤝 Support systems are stability lifelines. We weren’t meant to weather storms alone. Friends, mentors, and loved ones become the lifelines that keep us steady when we feel like sinking.

1️⃣3️⃣🏄 Don’t fight every wave — learn to ride them. Life’s challenges are like waves. The more you resist, the more you get knocked down. But when you learn to ride them, hardship becomes momentum instead of destruction.

1️⃣4️⃣🏆 Remember past victories over hardship. When facing new struggles, reflect on the storms you’ve already survived. Past victories remind you that you’ve overcome before, and you can overcome again.

1️⃣5️⃣🔥 Hardship refines, not defines, you. You are not your struggles — they don’t define you. Instead, they refine you, shaping you into a stronger, wiser, and more compassionate version of yourself.

1️⃣6️⃣🕊️ Stillness is power in noisy chaos. The world may shout at you to panic, but choosing stillness is one of the strongest moves you can make. Stillness lets you think clearly and act with power.

1️⃣7️⃣🎯 What you focus on expands — choose wisely. When you focus on fear, it grows. When you focus on hope, that grows instead. Where your attention goes, your energy flows. Steadiness is about choosing the right focus.

1️⃣8️⃣🌱 Temporary discomfort can yield permanent growth. Short-term pain often produces long-term strength. Like working out a muscle, discomfort in the moment builds capacity for the future.

1️⃣9️⃣🕰️ The long view makes present trials lighter. When you zoom out, today’s problems lose their weight. Looking at the bigger picture reminds you that what feels overwhelming now will someday be a small chapter in your story.

2️⃣0️⃣🌟 True steadiness inspires others to stand firm. Your steadiness isn’t just for you — it encourages everyone watching. By standing strong, you give others permission to do

Episode Transcript

(00:21):
Hey guys, John C.
Morley here, Serial Entrepreneur.
Great to be with you on Inspirations for
Your Life.
So we're having some issues here with Restream
again.
We are leaving them, so don't worry.
But it has been really crazy.
Like today I couldn't even play clips and
stuff like that.
So just been a little bit nuts to
be honest with you, but happy to be

(00:42):
leaving their platform very, very soon.
It's just been, how can I say?
It's been a mess.
We have been with them for basically about
a year.
We had another platform we were with for
a while and we were very happy with
them, but unfortunately they were sold to another
country.

(01:05):
And yeah, that's just, that's just, that's really,
really not, not good at all.
So again, welcome everyone to Inspirations for Your
Life.
It's great to be here with you.
Our master topic for the week is a
really, really good one.
And I think it's one that a lot
of you will hopefully appreciate.

(01:31):
And it has to deal with the top.
So that deals with, except that sometimes, like
I said, maybe this concept gets hidden rules
of real success.
What life doesn't tell you.
And so today's master topic is, let's stay

(01:53):
through basically any of the hardships series for
Show 35, episode number four.
So welcome everyone, thanks so much.
If you're thirsty, feel free to go grab
yourself some RO water, maybe a snack, some
fruit or what have you.
And if you haven't checked out BelieveMeAchieved.com,

(02:13):
we'll do it as soon as the show
is over.
All right guys, it is great to be
here.
And I do wanna take this opportunity to
welcome each and every one of you to
Inspirations For Your Life, whether it's your first
time or maybe it's your hundredth time or
more.
Thank you so much for being here.
I am John C.
Morley, serial entrepreneur, podcast host, podcast coach, video

(02:36):
producer, engineer, marketing specialist, and a lifelong passionate
learner.
And life is full of storms, guys, let's
face it.
Some we see coming, others we catch by
surprise.
But while hardship is guaranteed, our response is
not the real power as it lies in
learning to stay steady, grounded, focused, and unshaken,

(03:00):
even when chaos rages around us.
I'm gonna dive into 20 transformational truths that
can help you stand firm through life's toughest
seasons.
And in the process, discover strength that you
didn't even know you had.
I think that's a really big superpower is

(03:20):
that when you can learn about that power,
the fact that you have more than you
thought you had.
So number one is hardship is guaranteed.
Steadiness is a choice.
No one gets through life without facing some
storms.
That's the truth, all right?
And challenges are inevitable, but how we handle

(03:43):
them is what defines us.
Steadiness is not about avoiding difficulty.
It's about making a conscious choice to stay
grounded instead of letting hardship sweep you away.
You know, that's important, guys.
Number two, being steady doesn't mean being emotionless.
So steadiness doesn't require you to bury your

(04:06):
feelings.
It means acknowledging them without letting them take
control of you.
And so true strength is found in balance,
allowing emotions to exist while keeping your values
and actions intact.
Number three, guys, inner senses of calm.
Be stronger than the outer chaos all the

(04:26):
time.
When everything outside feels like, I don't know,
it's falling apart, cultivating inner space is your
best defense.
Meditation, breathing, or prayer.
Create an unshakable calmness that no external storm
can take away.

(04:50):
Number four, pain passes, strength remains.
Every struggle has an expiration date.
While pain and discomfort does fade, the resilience
you build from going through it becomes a
permanent part of who you are.
See, that's the gift hidden in hardship.

(05:10):
A lot of people miss that and they
rush through it because they don't actually learn
the lesson.
Number five, guys, anchors, faith, values, habits.
They keep you grounded like a ship in
a storm.
You need anchors, faith, personal values, and daily
habits to keep you from drifting into fear

(05:32):
and despair.
They remind you who you are and even
when circumstances try to shake you because they
are going to shake you guys, I gotta
be honest with you on that.
Number six, small daily routines build resilience.
Big strength is born from small habits.

(05:54):
Journaling, exercise, and gratitude practices may feel simple,
but they create a foundation that keeps you
steady when bigger storms come.
And I think that's important for all of
us to learn at any age of life.
Welcome, welcome everyone.
So number seven, react less, respond more.
Quick reactions often come from fear or anger,

(06:16):
but steady people pause before they respond, okay?
That's important.
This creates space to choose wisdom instead of
regret and that difference can change everything all
around.
Really just give you a complete 180.
Number eight, perspective makes problems smaller.

(06:39):
Hardship can feel overwhelming.
When we've zoomed in too close by stepping
back and let's say shifting perspective, problems shrink
and solutions become clear.
But we have to remember to be calm
in these moments.
Number nine, struggles reveal hidden strengths.

(07:02):
You'll never know how strong you are until
you face something that demands that.
Hardship has a way of pulling out abilities
and resilience you didn't even know that you
carried or existed in you.
Number 10, storms grow deeper roots and trees

(07:24):
grow stronger roots when battered by storms.
I don't know if you know that.
Likewise, hardship deepens your character, your resolve, giving
you roots that allow you to withstand even
greater challenges in the future.
See, a lot of people, they miss the
challenge and they like, you know, kind of
like, they skip it.

(07:46):
And then when they have the other challenges,
like they can't handle it because they didn't
take the right pathway.
They skipped ahead, right?
They took shortcuts.
You don't wanna do that.
Life is a preparation ground.
Number 11, guys, gratitude steadies the heart in

(08:06):
any turmoil.
When life feels overwhelming, focusing on that moment
or two of gratitude just shifts your attention
from loss to blessings.
Even in hard times, gratitude creates hope and
steadiness.
But we have to believe, we have to

(08:28):
be grateful for the moment that we have
right now.
Number 12, support systems are stability lifelines.
We weren't meant to weather storms alone.
Friends, mentors, and loved ones become the lifelines
that keep us steady when we feel like,

(08:48):
well, in other words, sinking.
Number 13, don't fight every wave, learn to
ride them.
I remember always enjoying going to the beach
when I was younger.
And I also love the pool, but when
you'd go into the beach and you'd have

(09:10):
your boogie boards, what we had, and we
would take that board out to go past
some of the big waves, but we like
to go during low tide.
But sometimes when we'd go out there, the
waves would be really rough and they'd be
really big.
And what you had to do is you
had to learn to ride them in.

(09:31):
Just hold that surfboard for tear life, okay,
or that boogie board, and just hold onto
it.
Don't let go of it.
And it will take you into shore.
That's a guarantee.
It might not be a comfortable ride, but
you're gonna get into shore.
Number 14, remember guys, your past victories over

(09:53):
the hardships that you've had.
When facing new struggles, reflect on storms, you've
already survived.
Past victories remind you that you've overcome before
and you could overcome again and again and
again.
I think when we have that moment to
sit back and say, oh wow, I did

(10:14):
that and I could do it again.
Number 15, hardship refines, not defines you.
You are not your struggles, people.
They don't define you, instead they refine you,
shaping you into a stronger, wiser, and more

(10:36):
compassionate version of yourself.
You know, when you choose to be compassionate,
other people around you are compassionate, but it
also gets you to enjoy joy, something that
a lot of people miss.
Number 16, stillness is power in noisy chaos.

(10:59):
The world may shout at you to panic,
but choosing stillness is one of the strongest
moves you can make.
You see, stillness lets you think clearly and
act with true power.
Number 17, guys, what you focus on expands,

(11:22):
so choose that wisely.
When you focus on fear, it grows.
When you focus on hope, that grows instead.
Where your attention goes, your energy flows.
Let me say that a few times.
Where your attention goes, that's where your energy

(11:42):
is gonna flow.
Stayness is about choosing the right focus.
A lot of you are focused, but they're
focused on the wrong thing.
Number 18, temporary discomfort can yield permanent growth.
Short-term discomfort or pain often produces long
-term strength within us.

(12:04):
Like working out a muscle, right?
Discomfort in the moment builds capacity for the
future.
Number 19, the long view makes present trials
lighter.
When you zoom out, today's problems lose their
weight.
Looking at the bigger picture reminds you that

(12:26):
what appears to be overwhelming now will someday
be a chapter in your storybook, something you're
gonna laugh about, hopefully.
Number 20, true steadiness inspires others to stand
firm.
Your steadiness is just for you.

(12:47):
It encourages everyone watching by standing strong.
You give others permission to do the same.
And I think that's hard for a lot
of people when they see that going on.
And now, guys, we're out to the part
of the show.
Well, I love the whole show, but this
is the part of the show that I
really like.
I'm gonna go ahead and give you, I'm
gonna give you basically a personal lesson or

(13:11):
story for the best points today.
And it's my hope that by me doing
this, it's gonna get you to connect.
It's gonna get you to take yourself from
where you are right now and transform yourself.

(13:35):
You see, everybody looks at other people and
like, oh my gosh, he's doing that, she's
doing that.
Well, that's great, right?
But what you didn't realize is what they
went through to get to that success, right?
That's the thing that you didn't really realize.
You didn't realize that they fought some battles.

(14:00):
You're seeing all the bright parts, okay?
But there's some challenging points.
There might be some dark times, but that
was the lesson teacher.
You know, hardship, as I said, is guaranteed,

(14:22):
but saying this is a choice, right?
I think at times when life threw me,
well, curve balls, like when a major project
fell apart or personal setback seemed to just
pile up when I didn't need that.
I always say I need that like I
need a hole in the head.
In those moments, I realized that what mattered

(14:42):
wasn't the problem itself, but how I chose
to respond to it.
Choosing stayiness over panic became my superpower.
It's like grounding yourself.
When everything feels like it's shaking, realizing you
can weather it by keeping calm and steady
is priceless.
Being steady, guys, doesn't mean being emotionless, as

(15:05):
I said.
There was a period when I tried to
keep it all together and bottle up my
emotions, thinking that showing them would weaken me,
but the truth is acknowledging my emotions allowed
me to process and truly release them instead
of letting them silently control my decisions.
See, staying is about embracing feelings, not rejecting

(15:27):
them.
Inner calm is stronger than outer chaos.
In chaotic situations, I found that the ability
to take a deep breath, hold it for
three seconds, and exhale for three is powerful.

(15:55):
It allows me to center myself.
It's what creates the most peace for me.
It's like this invisible shield of calmness that's
suddenly around me that makes all of the
external noise seem, well, less overwhelming.
This is where practices like meditation or simply
stepping back to collect your thoughts can have

(16:18):
a real positive impact and difference in your
life.
And that was something that really taught me
a valuable lesson.
Now, pain or discomfort passes, folks.
Strength remains.
There was a time when a major disappointment
hit me hard.
I thought I'd never bounce back, but over

(16:40):
time I realized that pain, that discomfort eventually
faded, but the strength gained from going through
it, it saved and it stayed with me.
I look back now and realize that hardships
didn't break me.
They built me to be a very resilient

(17:00):
person.
But going through the hardships is not fun.
Nobody wants to go through them.
But while you're going through them, think about
the lessons you're gonna learn.
Think about the resilience you're gonna develop because
of it.
Anchors, faith, values, habits.
They all keep us grounded, don't they?

(17:22):
My values and habits are like a mental
compass for me that I turn to during
tough times.
They help me navigate when the world feels
uncertain and they remind me that I have
a clear direction even when the storm clouds
roll in unexpectedly.
Faith is my anchor.

(17:43):
It gives me a sense of purpose and
assurance.
Small daily routines, guys, they build resilience.
I've learned that resilience isn't something that magically
appears in the middle of a crisis.
It's forged in the everyday habits that we

(18:03):
choose to create for ourselves.
Exercise, journaling, gratitude, even self-care have all
given me the mental and the physical fortitude
to face bigger challenges in life.
In other words, they've groomed me.
React less, respond more.

(18:24):
I used to react impulsively when I was
in grammar school and even high school and
even college, especially when emotions were running high.
But over time, I realized that the most
effective responses come when I take a pause
and reflect.
By creating space between stimulus and response, I

(18:47):
could make choices that aligned with my core
values, goals, and aspirations.
Do you take the time to think about
those goals or aspirations that you can achieve?
Maybe you're having a hard day.
Maybe things aren't going right, but you gotta
keep keeping on.

(19:08):
Remember the little engine that could?
I think I can, I think I can,
I think I can, I think I can.
If you haven't read that book, go read
that book.
Perspective makes problems smaller.
When you're in the thick of a problem,
it is so easy to lose sight of
the bigger picture.

(19:28):
And go crazy.
But I found that stepping back and putting
things into a context has helped me reduce
anxiety.
Suddenly what felt insurmountable becomes, well, just another
step in the journey.
Struggles reveal hidden strengths.

(19:51):
Some of my greatest strengths only emerged when
life demanded that.
Whether it was perseverance in the face of
failure or empathy during a friend's tough time,
hardship forced me to tap into the reserves
I didn't know I had and that existed.
Storms grow deeper roots, guys.

(20:13):
The storms that hit us leave their marks,
but they also leave us stronger.
Every difficulty I faced has helped me build
stronger roots like a tree that grows more
stable with each storm.
The more I withstand, the more resilient I
become for the challenges ahead.

(20:36):
And that becomes exponential.
Gratitude steadies the heart in turmoil.
And so in my hardest moments, I turned
to gratitude.
Not in denial of pain, but as a
tool to shift my focus.
Even in turmoil, recognizing the things I was
thankful for helped steady my heart and remind

(20:58):
me that life was still offering blessings, even
in the darkness.
Support systems are stability lifelines, guys.
I've never faced a storm without the support
of others.
Whether it was a friend offering advice, a
mentor giving a perspective, or just a family
member being there for me.

(21:20):
These lifelines have kept me from sinking when
I felt overwhelmed and that it was just
not even gonna be possible.
You know, guys, don't fight every wave, learn
to ride them.
I told you the story that I learned
when I was younger.
Whenever I would try to fight the wave,
I would basically find myself on the other

(21:40):
side of the board and I had to
realize, hey, ocean, you're stronger than me.
I'm gonna hold onto that board.
I'm not gonna try to overpower the wave.
I'm just gonna stay with my board.
The board is my friend.
It was a time I tried to control
every challenge, resisting everything that felt, well, difficult.
But eventually I realized that life's waves are

(22:02):
inevitable.
And instead of fighting them, I learned to
ride them, like I did my boogie board
and surfboard, embracing the flow and letting go
of the need for control.
So when I embraced that board and I
just made that board and I won, and
my whole purpose was just holding onto that
board, no matter what I held on, sometimes

(22:24):
I had to close my eyes really tight,
put them down and just wait there.
And then I know I'd be pushed to
shore.
Yes, it would be a rough ride, but
each time I got more courage to do
it again.
Remember past victories over the hardships you're having.

(22:44):
Whenever I face a new obstacle, I remind
myself of past victories.
Reflecting on the challenges I've already overcome gives
me confidence that I can face whatever is
ahead of me.
It's a reminder that I've survived worse and
I can get through this too.
Hardships refine you.

(23:04):
They don't define you.
Let me say that again.
A hardship refines you, but it does not
define you.
It's easy to think that hardship defines who
we are, but the truth is the hardship
refines us.
I've learned to see difficult moments, not as
limitations, but as opportunities for growth.
Each one shapes me into a stronger, more

(23:26):
compassionate person.
Try it.
You might be surprised.
Stillness is a superpower in noisy chaos.
I remember times when the world felt overwhelmingly
loud, whether it was external pressure or inner
turmoil.
It's those moments finding stillness became this form

(23:47):
of resistance.
My superpower, taking a step back and embracing
silence gave me the spark to think, act,
and regain the power that I was losing.
What you focus on expands, so choose it
wisely.
I used to get bogged down by negative
thoughts, letting fear and worry dominate my mind,

(24:09):
but when I focused on gratitude, hope, and
solutions, those positive things began to grow and
expand.
What we feed our minds shape our reality.
Let me say that again.
What we feed our minds shape our reality.
The temporary discomfort can yield permanent growth.
There were times when pushing through discomfort felt

(24:29):
unbearable, but I learned that this temporary struggle
was laying the foundation for future growth.
Whether it was a physical, emotional, or mental
discomfort, each challenge built me up stronger to
give me the ability to become a better
version of myself.
The long view makes present trials lighter.

(24:51):
When facing tough moments, it's easy to get
consumed by the here and the now, but
when I zoom out and I consider the
bigger picture, I realize how fleeting those challenges
really are.
The perspectives help me endure with greater patience
and faith.

(25:12):
True steadiness inspires others to stand firm.
What I found is that steadiness isn't just
about things that benefit me, it can inspire
those around me too.
By choosing to stand firm in my own
life, I give others permission to do the
same.
Creating a ripple effect of resilience and strength
is key, guys.

(25:33):
So these points, I hope, really emphasize how
life's toughest moments can transform us if we
choose to respond with steadiness, wisdom, and resilience.
Each lesson that I've shared with you feels
like a small, actionable reminder to keep going,
even when, well, things feel uncertain.

(25:56):
Do any of these resonate with you more
than others?
I'm curious.
Or perhaps there's a particular story in your
heart that you haven't shared and you wanna
tell someone.
So not only you can learn from it,
but others can embrace what you went through.

(26:16):
Staying steady through hardship is not about being
unshaken by life.
It's about learning how to anchor yourself when
the waves hit.
When I fell off that boogie board, did
I give up?
No, I went back.
But I realized it wasn't about overpowering the
wave, it was just riding the wave and

(26:36):
going with the wave, not trying to buck
it.
Each storm that you face in life is
a chance to grow, to strengthen who you
are, and to inspire others by your example.
Remember, pain passes, so does discomfort, but the
strength you build remains forever.
You know, I'm sure you can think of

(26:59):
things you've done in your life, and you're
like, gee, I wish this was something that'd
be more comfortable.
But after it's passed, you're like, oh my
gosh, I learned a lot from this.
But you were giving yourself a hard time
at the beginning, weren't you?
I know you were.
Hey, Joe, thanks so much for liking the

(27:20):
comment, really do appreciate it.
Thank you so much, I hope you have
a great week, and I appreciate you checking
in on the stream.
But you know, when we think about this
whole concept, and we think about what's going
on, I think the most important thing to
realize is that we can be the difference

(27:44):
in our lives if we choose it.
I'm not telling you it's gonna be easy,
folks, but I'm telling you that if you
put in 100%, even though it's gonna be
challenging, you're gonna come out, I'm gonna say
smelling like a rose, you're gonna come out

(28:04):
better than you ever could imagine.
Ladies and gentlemen, I'm John C.
Morley, serial entrepreneur.
Do check out BelieveMeAchieve.com for more of
my amazing, inspiring creations.
And remember, you've got choices in your life.
Choose to stick with it, and you'll be
so glad you did.

(28:25):
I hope you have a great rest of
your night or a great rest of your
day, and I'll catch you real soon, everyone.
Be well.
And so Restream is giving us some more
challenges, doesn't wanna play the outro.

(28:48):
But again, we are leaving Restream.
So again, we've kinda had it with them.
I hope you guys have a great rest
of your night or your day.
I'll catch you guys real soon, all right?
Be well, everyone.