You Can Do Hard Things (even when it doesn't feel like it)
You can do hard things(even when it doesn’t feel like it)
Courage isn’t the absence of fear - it’s remembering who you are and choosing to move forward anyway.
sent by Krystal Chryssomallis | October 27, 2025
“Courage isn’t the absence of fear —
it’s remembering who you are and choosing to move forward anyway.”
- You can do hard things. -
Hi Friend,
Every once in a while, life sends a mirror disguised as something wild.
For me, it was a lion in Kenya.
From a distance, he seemed calm, composed, untouchable — the definition of power. Our guide said, “Lions only see a big jeep blob, not the individuals inside.”
But I knew he saw me. His eyes locked, steady and knowing.
He walked closer. Step by deliberate step.
Not with threat, but with full intentional presence.
When he reached the jeep, he brushed against the side exactly where I sat —a silent acknowledgment — before lying down and crossing his paws.
He kept his gaze on me, unwavering.
What struck me most wasn’t just his strength — it was his clarity.
He saw all of me, and in that seeing, invited me to truly see him.
Fierce yet gentle. Grounded yet powerful.
His confidence didn’t roar; it radiated — a quiet energy born of deep knowing.
The truth in his eyes was so clear it made me uncomfortable,
as if he were holding up a mirror I could no longer look away from.
His body bore scars from survival, yet not one of them defined him.
He didn’t need to prove himself as King.
He simply was.
He knew who he was, and because of that, everyone around him knew it too.
He had all the power, and he chose not to use it.
His strength came from alignment, not force.
That clarity — the quiet confidence of knowing yourself — is where true power begins.
It’s the same truth the ancient Greeks inscribed above the entrance to the Temple of Apollo at Delphi: Gnothi Seauton — “Know Thyself.”
When you remember who you are, no circumstance can shake your essence.
You stop performing for approval. You stop fighting to be seen.
You simply are — and your presence does the talking.
I think of that lion often.
When I face moments that test my courage — when something feels uncertain or too big —
I draw on his energy.
I remind myself that I, too, can do hard things…
that strength doesn’t have to shout, and that clarity always outlasts chaos.
It’s in those moments I return to the same truth: Know Thyself.
Because courage isn’t about never feeling fear — it’s about remembering who you are and taking the next step anyway.
✨ Active Reflection
Where in your life are you being invited to move like the lion — calm, certain, and aligned?
What might shift if, instead of proving your worth, you trusted your quiet knowing?
And the next time courage calls, could you draw from the same energy — that deep remembering that you can do hard things, too?
May this lion remind you today
to walk with grounded grace,
to let your confidence come from truth, not noise,
and to remember that your worth has never depended on what you do —
only on who you already are.
With love,
Krystal ♥️
About the Newsletter
Dose of Good is a weekly newsletter for people who want to live with more awareness, connection, and intention.
Each issue includes one distilled insight, one real-world example, and one grounded question to carry into your week.
A moment to pause.
A shift in perspective.
A reminder of the beauty and connection that already exists.