Do The Thing

​It tends to be very difficult to do certain things in life.

What are these things?

Well...I certainly don’t have to tell you about waking up at the crack of dawn to go to a stressful work environment.

I don’t have to tell you about realizing that your health is suffering and undergoing a strict diet and exercise plan.

I don’t have to tell you about taking the hardest course of your life and struggling to make the grade.

The question now is why do we do these things?

They are quite literally and objectively terrible, as they involve restriction, suffering, anxiety, fear, worry, hope…

...yet we do them anyway.

Is it that we have a fetish for self-flagellation?

There is certainly no evidence for that; but it is quite clear what we want:

Satisfaction.

We as humans are not pleasure seekers, contrary to popular belief.

The greatest good is not to provide ourselves with permanent happiness.

We value what we obtain in the aftermath of the struggle:

Strength

Discipline

Perseverance

Confidence

But even if you don’t get these things after reaching the summit of that mountain after the long trek up…

...at least you can say that you climbed.