How is everyone this evening? Robert here and today a lot of businesses have closed up for the long over due Christmas break. Today, however, this post isn’t going to be so much about the Christmas break, or what I’m up to, no this post is more about helping you do hard things.
Ok, so I’m only 13 days into my own challenge of writing 365 days on my own blog, and I want to help you do hard things? Yes, yes I do.
Why doing hard things matters?
I have also today finished the outline for the events that I’ll be hosting in 2025. I don’t usually plan these, instead have relied on an adhoc approach and just picked a date, and began preparations 3-6 weeks, not an organised approach I’m sure.
Whilst completing the calendar I thought, this is how it should have been done a couple years ago, I should of been thinking about what marketing activity we’re going to be doing, what events, where are my leads coming from. How am I going to build the business?
Not just events that I’m running but also, what events do I want to show-up to, which networking events can I hand on heart say I will be there no matter what. It’s easy to sign-up to them, it is much more difficult to execute them when your tired and feeling worn out from the day.
I was on my way to a meeting this morning, the location was only 2.5km from where I live, I thought I could drive, but decided, no I’m going to walk. It gave me chance to think, so many of us decide to make things easy for ourselves. We just don’t seem to do hard things anymore.
I pondered for a moment as to why so many of us choose to do things that are easy.
If you want to become an expert or great at what you do then you have to be willing to do the things that most people aren’t. You have to be willing to do hard things. Whether that is growing your business, talking to more people, landing the job you want or getting an amazing set of abs and a six pack.
All will require you to do hard things.
Yet so many of us are adverse to doing this, why? The simple answer, at least I believe, is because of this amazing interconnected world that we live in. It is so much easier to pick-up the phone, tap the app for that fast food company, or the delivery company than it is to get off the couch and walk ourselves to the local chippy or store.
I began to reflect on my own time of when I had done the same, and boy there were a lot of years where I really did choose not to do those hard things. I was all for picking-up the phone, placing that fast food order and gobbling down a pack of donuts whilst I waited for the food to be delivered.
The cost of avoiding doing hard things
The problem with negating to do hard things, particularly in your 20s is that when it comes to your 30s, you will find yourself wondering what you did for 10 years. You will find there is no sturdy foundations with which to put a second layer on, you have to, essentially rebuild that foundation.
If during your 20s you decided to drink like a fish, eat shit and generally be static, then the debt at some stage will come due. In some cases this could be in your 30s where you find running and training to lose that weight, stop alcohol and eat cleaner. You will find your 30s will be focused on, doing hard things.
Neglected your finances during your 20s? Unless you come from a wealthy family, you are going to need money to make it in this world. You are going to need a survival fund (3-6 months of your income), minimal to no debts, a good income, a passive income and great credit score. If these aren’t in place, then your 30s are going to be spent doing the hard thing of putting your finances in order.
What’s more, hard things rarely happen over night, they take months, years. It is best to get those hard years in whilst you’re in your 20s.
Building resilience through hard work
Your purpose, the main reason to do hard things is to for-fill your potential on this planet.
You were not put here to simply coast through life, doing that teaches you nothing. You were put here to try, fail, learn and repeat. Over and over.
Of course there are days we all feel the pressure from work, family, friends and other external factors, these are the days where we just simply think there is no point in showing up, no point in going for that run, no point in lifting the weights or writing that blog post.
I always think, go anyway, and the chances are you will feel so much better one you’ve done it.
So my take home for you guys today is simple. When you have one of those days where you’re like “I really don’t know what to say, I really don’t want to do this, I’m tired, my tired is tired.” Nip those thoughts in the bud and simply remind yourself of your purpose, remind yourself why you’re doing this and go and do hard things.
Once you’ve done it and you’re on the other side you’re going to find yourself so elated, you will realise that a lot of the problem wasn’t the task but more what your mind had assigned to the task. Once you’ve done one hard thing, you will be more inclined to do another and another.
Over time you will build up the mental resilience to handle various hard tasks and come out stronger and more wiser.
I’ve been writing these blog posts for 13 days and they are slowly becoming a part of my daily habit, however believe me there are days where I don’t want to sit here and write. I don’t always know what to say. I think about if anyone is seeing my content. The same can be said for my physical training, I get days where I don’t want to run or lift weights, yet I do them and I do them because they strengthen my ability to face challenges head on.
So today, pick a hard task and go do it.