Do Difficult Things
Human Beings are complicated creatures with infinite desires, even when we satisfy these desires we are only happy for a short time, until boredom creeps in and sets us off on this perpetual treadmill of desire called life. We are terrible at predicting what will make us happy, if that’s the case what are we to do with our lives?
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We know the simple fact that we are the happiest when we are chasing something, an elusive goal, however this cannot be simulated: it has to be real, with concrete pressures, and frustrations. We are the happiest when we struggle. But the trick is that the struggle shouldn’t be so great that it overwhelms us, or so small that it leaves us bored and uninterested. It has to have just enough difficulty that it jolts us out of our natural inclination to seek Comfort.
Exercise
Happiness is a by-product of doing things which aren’t very pleasant in the present moment. These activities are often uncomfortable but bring us rich sources of extended pleasure.
Think about the activity of lifting weights, we know through research that when a muscle tears it is actually causing it to grow. So the contradiction of life is that pain actually brings us pleasure. As the cliche goes, “No pain, no gain”.
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So next time you are at the gym try to push for that extra rep, the pain of doing it is an extra dose of pleasure in the future. If we can re-wire our minds to think like that, we can actually find great pleasure in pain.
I think that’s the big difference between professional athletes and amateurs. They somehow find a way to find joy in pain and struggle. They actually perform better under these circumstances, this can be a great outlook on life.
When life throws you challenges, try to see this as an opportunity to become stronger. A simple mindset change can make the difference between feeling miserable and sorry for yourself, to rather feeling energised and ready to face any challenges that life throws at you.
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The Human body can in many ways be compared to water, when water lies stagnant it becomes a breading ground for dangerous pathogens and parasites. People who sit all day watching television and eating bad food become obese, to the point where movement is restricted.
Conditions such as Coronary heart disease start to creep in, because an inactive body becomes a conductor for diseases. The functionality becomes limited, what was once a healthy organism with vitality transforms into a low functioning nervous system.
Even trees take part in the healthy benefits of movement. You’ve all seen the trees swaying from left and right on a windy day. They are engaging in the vital activity of nature. So, we should all take counsel from Mother Nature and participate in this great symphony of life called movement.
Foreign Languages
Learning a foreign language is a good self-imposed difficulty. It requires a lot of dedication and has many transferable skills which you can apply to your life. Discipline being the biggest one, you cannot learn a language without self-discipline. You have to show up every single day, doing things you don’t enjoy in order to acquire the skills to be able to have a conversation.
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A foreign language also offers you access to a new market to showcase some of your other skills. It gives you a competitive edge over others who are competing for the same positions. This also opens up doors for potential promotions in the future as companies have branches in multiple countries.
Proficiency in a language can help you get access to International Markets which were unavailable before. It’s a doorway to discovery, because the world is a playground with infinite opportunities.
In conclusion
What is worth doing is hard to do, so when you are faced with two choices in life, and it’s difficult to make up your mind. Choose the path with the most resistance, in the future that will offer you the most benefit. Resist the temptation to pick the easy route, that’s what most people do and those rewards are minimal.
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Whether it’s a job in another country or a new position in your company that’s above your ability. This is exactly the jolt you need to add the energy and vitality in your life. There is no such thing as failure in life, only opportunities to learn and grow.
