It is all very well just “jumping in” and tackling a task “head on”, but often this will not be as effective if you have not first “laid the groundwork”. This simple but evocative expression can be used in a range of contexts to express that the foundations of something have been established.
If you can think of a task you previously struggled with but have now “gotten to grips with” and feel confident doing, it would be fair to say that you have “hit your stride”. This horse-racing-based expression perfectly sums up such situations.
At times, maximum effort may be required to get something done. A rather vivid but compelling way to express this is to say that you are “busting a gut” to succeed.
The well-established expression “every cloud has a silver lining” perfectly captures a situation in which something positive has resulted from an otherwise negative situation. John Milton coined this expression in his poem “Comus” in 1634. Its versatility is proven by the fact that people often abbreviate it to “silver lining.”