When I think about the hardest personal goals I’ve ever set for myself, there are quite a few that come to mind — from career milestones to personal challenges. But over the past few years, one stands out above all the rest: building our first chicken coop.

It might sound simple enough, but for me, it was one of the hardest — and most rewarding — things I’ve ever done.

At the time, my husband was on his own incredible adventure, hiking the Appalachian Trail. Each weekend, I’d load up the car and drive to meet him at trail stops to resupply and cheer him on. When I wasn’t on the road, I was here at home, working to turn our dream of a homestead into a reality. We already had ducks and had ordered our first batch of chicks. Plans for the beehives were in motion. Everything was falling into place — except that the chicks would soon outgrow their brooder, and they’d need a real home.

So, I set my sights on building a chicken coop.

I found plans on Etsy and felt unstoppable. “How hard could it be?” I thought. But the truth was — I had never used a power tool in my life. I’d never sorted through lumber to find straight boards, never built anything from scratch, and definitely never climbed a ladder to install roofing shingles or build a door.

Still, I was determined. I measured, cut, learned from YouTube videos, and made plenty of mistakes along the way (each one now part of the coop’s “personality”). I worked long evenings after my day job, pushing through frustration and fatigue. Somewhere in the middle of it all, I even managed to tear my rotator cuff — but I didn’t quit.

And when it was finally done, standing there in the yard, sturdy and ready for its first flock, I cried. I had done it. I had built something with my own two hands — something that still stands strong today, protecting my chickens through every season.

That coop represents so much more than just a shelter for our flock. It’s a daily reminder that I can do hard things. That I can learn, adapt, and create — even when the odds feel stacked against me.

Sometimes the hardest goals aren’t the ones that look big on paper. Sometimes, they’re the quiet, stubborn ones — the kind that build more than just a chicken coop. They build confidence, grit, and pride in the life you’re creating.