About
met•tle
/ˈmet.əl/ noun
1. The ability and determination to do something successfully despite difficult conditions
2. (on (one’s) mettle) Prepared to accept a challenge and do one’s best
What is Enmettlement?
Enmettlement is a blog about getting better at rolling with the punches. It’s about consciously seeking out and embracing adversity instead of avoiding it. It’s about the satisfaction of good old-fashioned hard work.
Developing ‘mettle’ demands us to do the things that we tend to avoid, such as:
- Embracing discomfort
- Delaying gratification
- Avoiding the urge to blame external factors for our problems
- Taking risks
- Accepting and welcoming adversity in our lives
- Declining over-indulgence in addictive behaviours (alcohol, junk food, social media, etc)
- Taking responsibility for our life situation
- Taking action in the face of uncertainty
… and many more. I have come to understand that avoiding work, pain, risk, and fear leads to an sullen dissatisfaction with one’s life that is much more unpleasant than the discomfort being evaded.
Ultimately Enmettlement is about living a more satisfying life by learning to take, and enjoy, the more difficult path. Every choice we make has a trade-off, and every time we choose the easy path we lose out in some other way.