“When was the last time you did something you could call hard? The kind of hard that makes you sweat?”
We work a lot, and after a while, we get used to stuff. We find easy work and sit in our cozy, comfortable corners doing the same worn out activities.
Nothing new.
Nothing great.
We let life pass without questioning it. It doesn’t take long to realize that it’s boring. It doesn’t even feel right.
Why?
Because … that’s not how we’re supposed to be
As humans, as passionate souls, or even as normal people who work, we’re supposed to grow and stretch beyond our limits. When you yearn comfortable work, what is it that you really do …?
- You make easier choices
- You hide within your limits
- You don’t dare to risk
- You avoid expanding your horizons
- You only do what you already know
- You shun what’s uncomfortable
- You don’t learn or grow
- You escape challenges by cutting corners
And that’s a problem, a big one.
It’s the same case with almost all of us.
Though, realizing that “choosing easy” isn’t always the ideal choice makes a difference – because after a while we even stop asking ourselves an important question ‘Am I doing something hard?’
You’ve got some decisions to take, choices to make, and they’re what decide the fate of your growth. You can walk on the easier route and do just okay. Or you can be a warrior and fight.
Be a warrior
I’d rather be a warrior.
Maybe not an armored one who slays throats with a sword’s edge, but a warrior of some sorts.
I probably don’t need to climb Mount Everest. I don’t need to apply for a job at NASA, either. But I can do what appears hard to me right now, no matter how small. So I find some hard things and do them.
I learned Sudoku. I did 50 pushups. I presented without using a paper. I quit Instagram for a month forever. I woke up at 5 AM for months. I took cold showers for 4 months of winter.
That felt good.
Those things may not be necessary, but they’re hard and matter to me in a way. I did things I thought I couldn’t do. Bit by bit, I grew.
Does doing hard things pay off?
It does.
To me, it’s always a sensible thing and it matters.
Not because I’m extremely hungry to achieve more or anything, but because it makes me realize me that I can really be more than what I’m right now. I can start small and go big. I can fall, get stuck in a rut, and go back to doing hard things.
Above anything, I can try.
There’s space for betterment, still a long way to go, and it makes me hopeful. So I can smile when I do something hard. Turns out, it really works.
Would it work for you? You wouldn’t know unless you try. That’s how everyone learns anyway. So do something hard. How? Well, here’s your next step.
Your next step
Make a list of things you find hard.
The kind of things you avoid and don’t want to do.
- Talking to strangers
- Hanging out with colleagues
- Speaking on stage
- Reading more books
- Living alone
Just quit the resistance. Make the list, gather your courage, and maybe, just do it.
Jot your ideas about what scares you, what you’re delaying, what you wish to do but couldn’t do. Then, check the items on your list one by one and conquer it.
Go, grab a pen, fill the paper, and get to work.
There you go.