The 97th Edition
But does it just require grit, resilience, resistance, and a willingness to endure, or is there another way to view the struggles we choose?
Something to Think About
“This is hard”… or “this is a privilege”.
Something to Ask Yourself
How would things change if you treated the thing you’re struggling with as something you get to do, not something you have to endure?
Personal Lesson
I’ve caught myself so many times thinking, this is hard, I want to quit, and if you’re not careful with those thoughts, you can start feeling sorry for yourself.
Especially when progress is slow, things don’t feel natural, and there seems to be no real evidence that what I’m doing is working.
However, I’m lucky enough to have had enough moments in my life that remind me of an important fact.
I’ve lived and worked with people with much less. From voluntary work in places like Cajamarca in Peru, or a township in KwaZulu Natal, and I’ve travelled to many parts of the world where people are living a very different life, concerned about very different things.
More recently, I’ve spent time in places like Vietnam, Thailand, and (most confronting) New Delhi.
Seeing people around the world with far fewer options than me can often serve as a reminder of how privileged I am.
It reminds you quickly that the things we struggle with, like training for an ultra, building something online, and worrying about reputation and progress, aren’t things we need to do.
They’re things we get to do.
When things feel hard, I try to catch it as soon as possible (writing this email helps). Because yes, it’s difficult, but it’s also a privilege to even be in a position to care about these things in the first place.
Running – Life’s Metaphor
A tough run or training block can feel like something to endure. But when you remember you chose it because you had the option (privilege) to do so, it becomes something to experience and maybe even enjoy.
Final Thoughts
So, let’s bring this back to endurance and patience.
Most people quit too early because they interpret difficulty as a sign that something is wrong.
The early stages are always uncomfortable. Early on, progress is almost guaranteed to feel slow, you will always be doubting yourself, and without evidence, it’s easy to assume you’re wasting your time on something that’s not working.
But, like we did last week, zoom out for a second.
The things you’re chasing and so often concerned about are not things you need for survival.
They are things you want, and that changes how you should approach them.
Because if you don’t enjoy the process, if you don’t find something in the challenge itself, then what really is the point?
Enjoying getting the thing is one thing, but enjoying chasing the thing is everything.
Know that there is privilege, and therefore joy and gratitude, to be found in the struggles of chasing things you don’t need, but want.
So don’t quit early just because it’s hard or because it’s taking longer than you expected.
Reframe it.
This isn’t something being done to you.
It’s something you had the privilege to choose.
RUN THE RUNNABLE 😉