By Leo Babauta

When my coaching clients start to shift their lives, one of the key things they do is commit to doing something that’s a bit out of their comfort zone, but that will lead to the long-term change that they want.

For example, maybe it’s a morning writing session. Maybe it’s daily exercise, or meditation, or tackling their finances regularly.

They tend to be pretty hopeful, and start out really committed. But at some point, they hit some rough spots. They feel resistance and put off doing the thing. They feel bad about it, feel discouraged. Fear plays a part as well.

What you’ll learn, if you don’t just give up, is that this is a crucial moment. If you can embrace the learning of this crucial moment, an important change becomes possible.

Let me explain a bit … when you’re hitting resistance (and fear usually, though most people don’t recognize the fear), and you feel overwhelm, discouragement or self-blame … this is a moment that you would normally want to bail out of. It’s not pleasant, not fun.

But it’s also a moment where other things are possible, not just quitting. For example, you could find courage and inspiration in this kind of moment. You could dig deeper and find a powerful, expansive part of yourself. You could feel a connection to all other human beings who struggle with this. You could find love for yourself.

Darkness isn’t something to avoid — it’s a place where we can find gratitude, love, and power. It’s a place where we can find our deepest learnings.

My encouragement to you is to not give up when you hit a rough spot. Get some support (do some coaching with me, for example) and work through the rough spot with a sense of trying something new.

Try curiosity. Try breathing deeply. Try finding your inner strength and courage. Try finding inspiration and hope. Try loving yourself, and trusting yourself.

Work through the rough spot, and see what else becomes possible. What would be possible in your life if you could work through these kinds of rough patches?