'Sometimes it's hard to be a woman…' sang country music icon Tammy Wynette. And anyone who's experienced, say, the pain of child birth, might well agree. But surely there are more difficult things out there, aren't there? What about understanding how the Universe came into existence - there you go, there's hard nut to crack.

For men, especially so-called tough guys, simply expressing their feelings is as hard as it gets. After all, if you believe Jamaican musician Jimmy Cliff, 'The harder they come, the harder they fall.' And simply acting the hard man can't be easy - remember Ross Kemp's turn in the TV show Extras?

For some people, just getting out of bed in the morning is as difficult as it gets. Most seriously, though, how about being the bearer of bad news or, worse, battling a serious disease? So, what we want to know this week is: what's the hardest thing you've had to do? And how did you overcome it?

• Would you say it had to be something physical, or emotional?

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  Do things get harder as you/they get older?

• Are some things merely disguised as being difficult?

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  Are there more difficult things than easy things, or the same?

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  Are certain things only difficult for a short time, while others stay hard forever?

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  Do you always take the soft option?

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  Is it answering this question?