Life is full of struggles. Sometimes, we simply want to shy away from them. But even when our minds are constantly telling us that we should call it a day, we can still keep on going. The solution is the Cookie Jar.

The Cookie Jar method was created by one of the toughest men alive, David Goggins. Goggins is a retired Navy SEAL, who has competed in more than sixty ultra-marathons triathlon.

To raise money for a non-profit organization for orphans, Goggins vowed to run Badwater 135. Badwater is the world’s hardest foot race. To qualify for Badwater, one has to run 100 miles in 3 days, that is, 4 marathons in one go. With zero preparation and training, Goggins decided to have a try.

For the first few miles of the race, he felt fine and had no trouble running. But at mile 50, his legs felt like they were loaded with lead. Stil he ran. Then at mile 70, he couldn’t take another step forward. Exhausted and feeling beaten down, he sat down to rest. He kept on asking himself, “Why? Why are you still doing this to yourself?” He then remembered this wasn’t the first time he’d taken on an impossible task. And he suddenly felt some energy build up. He started walking slowly, step by step. He kept on digging in his past while remembering all his previous victories, making him get the energy he needed to keep on going. His feet were still a bloody mess, full of blisters. But it gave him just enough drive to sustain him, until the 100-mile mark. And that’s what the Cookie Jar is.

We all have a cookie jar inside us. Whenever you face a challenge, whenever you want to give up, you open the cookie jar and pick a cookie. The cookie reminds you of something you’ve overcome and how far you’ve come. Eventually, you’ll slowly build up your mind to be more mentally tough. Impossible, will turn into, I can do this.

About five weeks ago, I noticed the skin of our pet lizard(蜥蜴) was growing dusty. It worried me. I reported the strange surface on the skin of the lizard to my husband and children the next morning. Seconds later, our lizard emerged from its tank with its old skin flowing behind it.

I didn't think about it much until a morning last week when I knocked my favorite teapot off the table. It burst into hundreds of pieces. As I swept up the mess, I wondered why we had been breaking so many things over the months.

The destruction started three months ago. It was my husband's birthday. He had just lost his job. The uncertainty was starting to wear on us, so I wanted to do something special.

"Let's make a cake for Dad!" I cried.

My kids screamed with joy. We baked, iced and sprinkled for most of the day. Candles on the cake! Balloons on the walls! Flowers on the table!

Two hours before my husband came back home from another job interview, my daughter climbed up to grab a glass vase from a high shelf. It fell and crashed beside the cake. Tiny pieces of glass were everywhere. She sobbed loudly as I threw the cake away. My husband had banana pudding for his birthday.

Three days ago, the light in our living room suddenly went out. After several frustrating hours of unsuccessful attempts to fix it, my husband suggested watching the Michael Jordan documentary(纪录片) series The Last Dance.

The poignancy(酸楚) of Jordan retiring from his beloved basketball to play baseball and what had pushed him to make such a tough decision took me by surprise. As I watched him take off his basketball uniform and replace it with a baseball uniform, I saw him leaving behind the layer that no longer served him, just as our lizard had. Neither of them chose the moment that had transformed them. But they had to live with who they were after everything was different. Just like us. I realized that we have to learn to leave the past behind.

Humans do not shed skin(蜕皮) as easily as other animals. The beginning of change is upsetting. The process is tiring. Damage changes us before we are ready. I see our lizard, raw and nearly new.

Jordan said that no matter how it ends, it starts with hope. With our tender, hopeful skin, that is where we begin.

Stop being a prisoner of your own pain

No one is a stranger to pain. Sometimes you can become imprisoned by your own pain. Here are some tips to help.

It won’t last forever

【小题1】. It tells you that there’s something wrong. For example your aching head is warning you to the fact that you’re tired and stressed. Indeed, pain is an indicator, but it won’t necessarily continually exist.

Attitude towards suffering

One of the best ways to attend to the reality of suffering is, without a doubt, to understand its origin and to believe that relief finally come. Indeed, the attitude with which you deal with it is key. 【小题2】. Discouragement, negativity, and depression have an influence on pain. In fact, they can increase it to the extent that you turn to painkillers. However, you must look for a purpose, a goal or a dream, because, whether it’s depression or a time of despair and sadness, everything is better faced with a dose of optimism.

【小题3】

Being able to share your reality and suffering will undoubtedly help you to cut down burdens. Sometimes, the reality of pain isn’t well understood and pushes many people into feelings of loneliness. Therefore, you must know how to seek support. 【小题4】, either because they’ve been through the same thing or because they’re close to you.

In my opinion, nobody is able to get through his life without suffering. 【小题5】. It’s even more interesting that usually we will remember the suffering for longer time when it’s more painful because these painful experiences will leave a deeper impression and provide more gain. All the painful experience will become sweet memories when they turn to your wealth someday.