Why It’s Good to do Hard Things
I was asked to present a seminar to court reporting colleagues about Why It’s Good to do Hard Things. I had never really thought about putting structure around the question and decided to do some research. I believe anyone who has been successful at anything has learned the lesson of why it’s good to do hard things. It was really interesting to delve into the subject and realize how many great things in my life have come out of doing hard things.
How does doing hard things help you grow as a person?
The easiest way to answer this question is to think back to any travel you might have done. My first trip on an airplane was to Singapore to report two short depositions of accountant ex pats. I was 26. I grew up in a simple household and hadn’t flown, been in a taxi, or hotel before this trip. I was super scared, but one of my goals since I was young was to see the world. The plane trip back to California from Singapore consisted of stops in Bangkok, Chang Mai, and HonkKong. I met the kindest people in the world in Thailand and had a great adventure in HongKong. My advice to everyone in the world is, if you have an opportunity to travel, go, go, go. You will grow as a person.
How does doing hard things make you a better person?
I have found forgiveness to be tough sometimes. People have made me really mad and hurt my feelings on the soccer field, in the courthouse, and even in junior high and high school where I encountered bullies. A part of me used the anger to energize actions, holding a grudge, and getting back at people. One of the reasons I wanted to have a successful business was to show “those people” so I could say, “So there,” one day. But keeping all of that anger alive and letting it run my life was exhausting and didn’t make me very happy. It was hard to forgive people, but once I did life was much easier.
How does doing hard things make you stand out?
Choosing to do something that everyone knows is hard definitely makes a person stand out. I remember starting my court reporting business at age 25 (with no college education) was really scary. I pretended to be confident, but inside I was always nervous. I did anything I thought might help business no matter how insecure I felt, including joining committees of trade associations statewide and nationwide, and even becoming the president of a couple of them. Having the opportunity to be in leadership roles gave me tools to succeed and be confident and stand out.
How does doing hard things make you healthier?
We can all think about how hard it is to wake up early to go to the gym or come home tired after work and having to walk the dog, but when we do it anyway, it feels great. Eating healthy is important, and we all know it, but sometimes fast-food is such an easy way to eat. We need to be disciplined because our bodies are our greatest asset. Love your body!
Will doing hard things make you smarter?
Trying something new that is unfamiliar takes energy, and sometimes we have to force ourselves to go forward. For example, it would be easy to watch television or mess around with our social media accounts for minutes, hours at a time, but that’ s probably not going to make us smarter. Watching a documentary or reading about art, history, or whatever subject you might be fascinated with would be a much better decision.
Will doing hard things make you more productive?
Stephen Covey says, “All of our actions are the result of past conditioning and that we must change our habits, and who we are, in order to succeed with making large changes in our lives.” Changing habits takes time and discipline and can be very hard to do. Procrastinating is a bad habit that leads to zero production. As Covey suggests, making lists of what needs to be done in the order of importance takes time, and a person needs to be disciplined to check off what is on their list, but the outcome is worth it all.
Will I be valued more if I do hard things?
Being a leader of a company, organization, or even of an Eagle Scout Troup once again can be hard. It takes time. People might not agree with you and your agenda. You have to move forward. You can listen to expert opinions, good ideas, but the buck stops with you as the leader. People value people who step up.
Will doing hard things make me happier?
As I mentioned in a prior blog, I decided to learn how to play the ukulele at the age of 60. I wanted to have a live teacher (not use Youtube) because I work harder if I am accountable to someone and inspire me to be more disciplined and practice an hour a day. I vividly remember parking my car in front of the music school and being so nervous, asking myself why am I putting myself through this? No one is making me learn music. The teacher probably going to think I am old, he’s used to little kids learning an instrument. But I got out of my car and forced myself to go into the classroom and have never looked back. Playing the ukulele and now the guitar gives me so much joy.
The bottom line, doing hard things makes for a most wonderful life!