#SoG103 - Do the hard(er) thing.
#SoG103 - Do the hard(er) thing!
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SoG 103 - Do the hard(er) thing!
Again, like yesterday, this will be a short one. Again, I did not write this in the morning and thus the snafu.
You know that poem by Robert Forst where he talks about the road less travelled?
Ever wondered why is this road less travelled? I mean the two roads are available for everyone and yet one remains less travelled. I am not sure but if I had to bet my money, I would say it is because most people walking are lazy and they just follow the steps of others. And this following the steps of others happens because it seems like a safe option. And if not safe, easy!
My thesis is that most people try and avoid hard things.
Simple example.
You are going to a meeting. The client is on the 3rd floor. There is a 2-mile long wait for the elevator and there is a 0 step walk to the staircase. Which one would you take?
Another example.
You know that you ought to wake up before 5 AM if you want to change the world. And yet you are slumbering in the bed till noon. Why? Not because you slept late. But because its harder to control your urges and sleep on time.
Another.
You've had a hard day. You are hungry af. You see this person selling road-side snack. Made in oil and all that. And you know that about 20 minutes away is a place that serves healthier food. What would you do?
I can give countless examples where you have an option of taking the harder route while going toward your goal / objective. And time after time you often choose the easy way out.
If we start taking the harder route, I prophesize that we'd become far better than what we are.
Really.
Tired after a long day at work? Sleeping is easy. Staying up to write and finish that quota of 1000 words is hard.
Chilling and taking it easy is, well, easy. Discipline is hard.
Taking frequent breaks while working is easy. Focusing on and getting things done is hard.
Skimming is easy. Reading is hard.
Consuming is easy. Creating is hard.
Salary is easy. Starting something by yourself is hard.
What is that thing that you think is hard? How about doing one rep of that?
Thanks,
@saurabh
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Tags: Hard, Hardwork, Robert Frost
Further Reads
Please read this thread on Twitter.
Read this essay by Paul Graham. This is what got me thinking about hard things.
This book by Ben Horowitz (and this summary on Shane's blog) is a great place to start thinking about hard things.