Doing Hard Things Is Good for You

Life has become incredibly convenient.

We can order food without leaving the sofa. We can have almost anything delivered to our front door. Entertainment is available instantly. We can scroll for hours without ever having to move.

Convenience is great.

But sometimes, doing things the hard way is good for us.

Your Brain Needs a Challenge

There is something different about doing something that you don't want to do.

Getting out of bed when you're tired. Going for a run when it's raining. Finishing a difficult workout. Learning a movement that you can't quite get right.

You have to make yourself do it.

And there is something rewarding about proving to yourself that you can.

You have done something difficult and come out the other side.

Don't Get Too Comfortable

We don't need to make everything in life harder than it needs to be.

But we also shouldn't make everything as easy as possible.

If every time something gets uncomfortable we avoid it, eventually our tolerance for discomfort gets smaller.

Training gives you a controlled environment where you can practise doing hard things.

You know the workout is going to be difficult. You know your legs are going to burn. You know there will be moments when you want to stop.

And then you keep going.

There Is Something Grounding About It

When you're training, there isn't much else to think about.

You're focused on your breathing.

You're focused on the next rep.

You're focused on moving well.

You're not thinking about your emails, your phone or what happened earlier that day.

You're just there.

Sometimes that is exactly what you need.

Hard Doesn't Mean Reckless

Doing hard things doesn't mean destroying yourself every time you train.

It doesn't mean ignoring pain or training through an injury.

It means challenging yourself.

It means doing things that require effort.

It means being willing to be uncomfortable for a while because you know there is something on the other side.

That's an important difference.

Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable

The best part is what happens afterwards.

You finish the workout.

You catch your breath.

You realise you did something that was difficult.

And you feel good.

Not because it was easy.

Because you did it anyway.

That feeling carries over into the rest of your life.

You start to realise that you can handle difficult things.

You don't need everything to be easy.

You just need to be capable of dealing with it.

Don't Get Soft

Modern life gives us more convenience than ever.

So make sure you're still choosing some things that challenge you.

Lift something heavy.

Learn something difficult.

Go outside.

Train when you don't particularly feel like it.

Do things that require effort.

Because sometimes the hard thing is exactly what you need.

Don't make your life harder than it needs to be. But don't make it so easy that you forget what you're capable of.