If You Want An Easier Life, Do Harder Things
A big lesson I have learned over the last couple of years is this: Life will make sure that you struggle; the only thing you can do is choose what to struggle with.
Hard times are inevitable, people age, health is unpredictable, and failure is a requirement. Basically, life is hard, so it may sound strange for someone to tell you that if you wanted to make it easier, you should do more hard things, right?
The thing is, there are different kinds of hard; some are paradoxical, and some just suck. It’s the paradoxical kind that I’m talking about.
Less is more, the only constant is change, and strength comes from struggle are all examples of paradoxical truths.
Doing easy things = hard life, doing hard things = easy life is another.
It's no secret that most positive outcomes in life come from times of difficulty. You cannot and will not build the life you want without pain.
What We Know
I know what you’re thinking: why would I suddenly start doing hard things in my life because some schmuck on the internet told me to? So let’s look at what’s been said so far.
Jocko Willink, ex-Navy SEAL, is known for the phrase “Discipline = freedom” he suggests that choosing the hard option that’s right in front of you will grant you flexibility and choice later on.
The marshmallow test, which studies whether young children would take a lesser snack now, for a better snack later, then tracked them throughout their lives.
The children who delayed gratification had a significantly higher chance of succeeding in adulthood.
The core idea that hard = easy can also be traced back to the Roman Empire days.
“Difficulties strengthen the mind, as labour does the body.” - Seneca - Providence, 2.4
Although these ideas differ in their description, they carry the same message: if you want a better life later, which is also an easier one, you have to do the hard work now, whatever that may be.
What To Do
I trust you don’t need a step-by-step guide as to how to do hard things, nor do you need me to tell you to start small and work your way up for the hundredth time.
What I will offer you is a mental framework to help figure out what difficult things you should be doing.
What things are you doing because they feel good or are easy to do?
Now, what could you do that would make doing that thing hard?
And if you continued to do them that way, what would be the outcome?
I’ll give you a couple of examples.
Eating junk food feels good, it’s also easy. Removing all junk food would be hard, but if I continued to stop eating junk food, I would lose weight, feel better and have more energy. Oh, and be much healthier down the line.
Waking up and snoozing feels good, and it’s easy to do. Waking up and getting up on one alarm would be hard, but if I continued to do so, I would feel more awake during the day and build mental resilience.
Taking the elevator is easy; taking the stairs is hard. If I continue taking the stairs, I will become fitter, healthier and likely result in making other better life choices.
This list could go on and on; it’s up to you and depends on your circumstances that govern what hard you choose to do.