A few weeks ago, I tricked my family into going for a morning trek. I told them about this beautiful place near Trivandrum but when they asked how long the walk was, I said it was just a short walk.
So the next day we started early, and when the uphill climb started it was four times longer than I had told them. Sweating and out of breath, they were fuming at me for having misrepresented things but I had already gone ahead to escape their fury 🙂
But here is the funny thing, after some time, their anger calmed down and they were enjoying it thoroughly. So much so that the next weekend, they went on a much longer trek!
Often in life, we equate ‘hard’ with ‘undesirable’. Unfortunately, some of the most meaningful experiences in life are hard – whether it is working on your startup idea, building a side hustle, or going for a long run. But once you start making progress, you start loving it.
How many major exams have you cracked without going through hardship? How many big goals have you achieved easily? I guess very few, if at all.
I am not suggesting we inflict pain on ourselves, but avoiding meaningful things just because they are hard is like avoiding a trek because it means walking uphill. Is that not the whole point of a trek?
Most meaningful things in life are hard – that is how life is. But if you get started, very soon, you find joy in the act itself. These are the things that make life worthwhile – not watching TV, sitting on a couch.
– Rajan