Hey friend, welcome back to Running to Myself.
I’m Trisha Stanton — your host and someone who continues to learn that even the right paths in life often feel harder than we expected.
Have you ever felt certain you were doing exactly what you were supposed to do—only to find yourself wondering, “Why is this so hard?”
You trust your decision, you believe in your direction, but reality isn’t lining up with what you imagined.
We all know that feeling. And we all ask the same question when it happens: If this is right, why isn’t it easy?
What changed everything for me was learning to adjust my expectations.
Because sometimes, the path is right… and it’s hard.
You know those days where nothing seems to go as planned?
You’re trying to carry on with your day — keep appointments, get to places on time, finish what you started — and at every turn, something gets in the way.
The traffic light turns red when you’re already late.
Your computer freezes mid-email.
You spill coffee on the one outfit you actually ironed.
Life can be that way sometimes — and it’s frustrating.
When that happens to me, I sometimes feel like my hair is standing on end.
Frazzled, frustrated, fuming, and frantic.
In other words… not my best self!
Those moments are small, everyday examples of what it feels like when our expectations and reality collide.
We thought the day would go one way — and it didn’t.
And that tension we feel? That’s the same tension we experience on a bigger scale when life doesn’t unfold the way we pictured it.
We often carry this unspoken belief that if something is meant to be, it will be easy.
If the decision is right, everything will fall neatly into place.
And when it doesn’t—when it’s messy, delayed, or complicated—we start to question everything.
But here’s what I’ve learned: Ease isn’t proof of alignment.
Ease is external — it’s about the circumstances.
Peace is internal — it’s about alignment with purpose.
And those two don’t always arrive together.
You can have deep peace about a direction and still walk a hard, uphill road.
About 10 years ago, I experienced this in a big way.
When we put our farmhouse on the market to move to San Antonio for my husband’s job, I was so sure it was the right decision.
He had already moved down there and started working, so it felt clear and obvious — this was the path we were supposed to take.
I trusted the decision. I believed it was God-led.
And because it was right, I assumed it would be smooth.
In my mind, the pieces would all line up beautifully:
The house would sell quickly.
The details would fall into place.
We’d transition easily and gratefully.
But it was anything and everything but easy and smooth.
Everything that could go wrong, did.
Deals fell through.
Inspections turned into headaches.
Unexpected expenses popped up.
And I found myself saying more than once, “Really, God? I’m trying to do the right thing here — why does it feel like the wheels are coming off?”
I started to question the decision itself, even though deep down, I still believed it was right.
The truth is, the problem wasn’t the path — it was my expectation of the path.
I had trusted the calling, but I had romanticized the journey.
It wasn’t wrong. It was just hard.
And hard doesn’t mean wrong.
That season taught me that sometimes, the right path looks like doors that won’t open until the very last minute.
It looks like detours, delays, and roadblocks that develop our patience and deepen our trust.
Most of our frustration in life doesn’t come from what is — it comes from what we expected it to be.
We expect ease, and we get struggle.
We expect quick, and we get slow.
We expect predictable, and we get chaos.
And then we assume something has gone wrong.
But what if the struggle isn’t evidence that you’re off course?
What if it’s proof that you’re right where you’re supposed to be?
When we stop expecting easy, we stop wasting energy being shocked by hard.
Here’s the mindset shift that changed everything for me:
“The goal stays the same. My expectations about how easy or hard it will be — that’s what changes.”
Once I accepted that truth, I stopped thinking something had gone wrong every time I hit resistance.
The dream doesn’t have to shrink, but our expectations do have to stretch.
Because growth, by definition, stretches us.
And let’s be honest — the path to meaningful things is always hard.
It’s not punishment. It’s preparation.
From a faith lens, I’ve learned that God never promised ease — He promised presence.
Psalm 23 doesn’t say, “He leads me around the valley.”
It says, “Even though I walk through the valley, You are with me.”
That means we’re going to walk through some things.
Hard things.
But we don’t walk them alone.
Sometimes, God’s version of good doesn’t look like comfort — it looks like growth.
He refines us, not to punish us, but to prepare us for what’s ahead.
So if your road feels steep right now, it doesn’t mean you’re off course.
It might mean you’re being strengthened for the next stretch of the climb.
If you’re in a season that feels harder than you thought it would be, here are five simple steps you can take to adjust your mindset and keep moving forward.
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🪞 Step 1: Name What You Expected
Ask yourself, “What did I expect this to look like?”
Be specific. Maybe you thought it would go faster, feel lighter, or come with fewer obstacles.
Naming the expectation is how you make the invisible visible.
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✍️ Step 2: Acknowledge What’s True Now
Now, write down what’s actually happening.
Not with judgment — just honesty.
What is reality showing you?
When you stop resisting what is, you regain your peace.
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đź’ˇ Step 3: Bridge the Gap With Truth
Reframe the story in your mind.
Instead of “This shouldn’t be happening,” try:
* “This is what growth feels like.”
* “The process is doing its job.”
* “This was never supposed to be easy.”
Those truths keep you steady when your emotions want to spiral.
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🧠Step 4: Reaffirm the Goal
When the road feels long, remind yourself why you started.
Ask:
* “Do I still want this?”
* “Is the cost worth it?”
* “Does this still align with who I’m becoming?”
If the answer is yes — keep going.
Every worthy pursuit involves challenge.
Expect it.
Prepare for it.
And when it comes, say, “Ah, this is the part I was expecting.”
It’s not a problem — it’s part of the plan.
When I look back at the farmhouse season — and all the little “everything went wrong” days before and after — I can see how much those moments taught me.
Not about ease, but about endurance.
Not about control, but about trust.
Sometimes growth feels like losing your footing before finding your balance again.
But that’s how we build strength — one wobbly, faithful step at a time.
So friend, if your life feels like one of those “everything went wrong” days stretched into a season, take heart.
You’re not off track.
You’re being shaped.
Adjust your expectations — not your goal.
The path isn’t wrong. It’s just doing what every worthy path does: it’s refining you.
So ask yourself:
“Do I still want it? Is the cost worth it?”
If the answer is yes — then keep going.
Because hard doesn’t mean wrong.
It means you’re growing into someone strong enough to hold what’s waiting at the end.
If this episode resonated with you, share it with a friend who might need a little encouragement today.
And if you’d like help building the mindset tools to stay grounded and resilient — even when things aren’t going as planned — I’d love to talk.
You can book a free consultation with me at trishastanton.com.
Together, we’ll help you find clarity, calm, and strength for whatever path you’re on.
Because remember:
Hard isn’t wrong.
It’s just the part of the story where you grow.
