To Achieve True Freedom, Do the Hard Things

Important things in life don’t come easy. Nor should they. Education, self-learning, staying fit, staying financially stable, mentally sane, etc. — all of these things require friction. They require work.

The hours to put in. The struggle(борьба) of not knowing where to go next. The thrill(трепет) of finding a solution. The discipline to push yourself.

That’s why all education is, really, self-education.

And that is why we must not shy away(уклоняться)from doing hard things.

Doing hard things brings freedom we can’t buy otherwise.

The modern agenda(повестка дня) in a culture that says ‘follow your bliss’(следуй за счастьем) can easily deviate us from the right path. If all we do is follow our bliss, we never get to do the hard things. You know, the stuff(вещи) that doesn’t bring joy immediately — but brings intense fulfillment down the road (e.g., saving money to invest, staying healthy to feel and look great, learning something new that impacts your career).

The journey of doing hard things is the journey of spiritual growth. And once you have that, you have what everyone is looking for.m

Some falsely assume(предполагают) that freedom is about having access to everything. In an age of abundance(в эпоху изобилия) (which we enjoy right now), uncontrolled consumption(потребление) leads to addiction(зависимость). The ability for self-control and willful abstention( умышленное воздержание) from instant pleasures becomes a skill that brings true freedom.

1. Scrolling Instagram is easy. Reading a book for one hour straight is hard.
2. Watching motivational YouTube videos is easy. Sitting through and absorbing ideas in a TED talk requires willpower.
3. Sleeping in is easy. Waking up at a certain time each day and running 5K is hard.
4. Having writer’s block is easy. Going through the pain of not knowing what to write next but writing anyway — now that’s hard.
5. Telling yourself you’re talented is easy. Actually doing something about that talent is hard.
6. Spending money on fancy restaurants and clubs is easy. Being frugal and saving is hard.
7. Taking an Uber is easy. Walking 10 minutes is harder.
8. Living a playboy’s life is easy. Having commitments(обязательства) is hard.
9. Shying away from social interactions is easy. Going through the introvert’s pain of showing up and being your honest self can be incredibly hard.
10. Procrastinating is easy. Pushing yourself to do things can seem impossibly hard.
11. Finally, finding excuses is easy. Letting go of excuses means you’re on the hook. Oh, and yeah — that’s hard.

It’s hard — and that’s why you should do it

In fact, doing the hard things — when you have the option to cop-out and go the easy route — has a positive side-effect I didn’t realize before: it gives your life meaning.

One of the reasons we have a deficit of meaning and purpose in today’s life is because we’re too damn comfortable. Our goals and aspirations(стремления) lie not in the realm(сфера) of surviving or making it, but rather in being better than Joe or proving something to our families. Always remember that people in Nazi concentration camps( в нацистских концентационных лагерях) had no problems with purpose or meaning.

Always remind yourself: it’s supposed to be hard.

And that’s exactly why you should do it.