Do Hard Things: A Pursuit Worth Having
I recently stumbled upon a book summary by Productivity Game.
In the same vein as audiobooks and 2x speed audio, book summaries can be an effective way to parse through information, get the gist of something and determine whether the investment of time for the in-depth perusal is important.
The book summary I listened to was Do Hard Things by Steve Magness and there are hundreds more videos to glean gems from on the Productivity Game Youtube channel.
When thinking about the point of nonfiction productivity reading, it ultimately is to discern what can be useful and applicable to my life.
What are the hacks or secrets or perspective shifts that would aid my thinking, my lifestyle, my outlook on life.
And I came to the conclusion that reading the original text as the author intended was not necessarily a vital part of that equation for me. So, listening to a summary may suffice.
Here’s the takeaways that were highlighted and subsequently interpreted with my perspective.
Doing hard things is vital for a fulfilling and enriching life.
Pursuing challenging things, whether its in your professional life or your personal life, gives your life worthwhile value and it is in that struggle and achievement that you create meaning.
However, there are several misconceptions on a societal level that we perpetuate about that toughness and grit accompanying great accomplishment.
Acting Confident vs. Embrace Reality
We often see those who accomplish great, awe-inspiring feats as confident, self-sufficient individuals. We misattribute that confidence as a defining feature of those who hold the potential for greatness. As such, we as less-than-confident individuals, are not equipped to likewise accomplish greatness.
Instead, confidence is a result or byproduct of accomplishment rather than a pre-requisite. those who achieve greatness. Instead, those who approach challenge with short-term pessimism and long-term optimism with a respect and healthy dose of skepticism more accurately gauge the level of difficulty.
Ignore the Pain and Persist vs. Acknowledge the Pain But Maintain Equanimity
Pursuing hard things are bound to result in difficulty. There will be discomfort. There will be resistance. There will be struggle. Acknowledging this inevitable discomfort but maintaining mental calmness is key. It is different from ignoring the pain and persisting. It is recognizing the alarms, the flashing lights, the warning signs and evaluating the situation with a calm mind.
There are 3 ways in which to maintain equanimity
Zoom out and Explain - By taking a third person perspective or trying to separate oneself from the experience, you can try to name, and try to put into words how you feel. This third-person narrative of the situation may be enough to acknowledge but not get hung up on the feelings, similar to how a meditator can notice the feelings, thoughts, and emotions but also let those pass.
Reappraise - By re-framing experiences as opportunities and beneficial rather than as negative or perceiving the world as out to get you, you can develop a perspective whereby gratitude and openness to experience have a positive impact on your subjective experience. This shift in mindset to one of positively can guide you to respond to painful and negative experiences with resilience.
Reassure - By understanding that whatever you are experiencing or going through will also pass is a recognition that all things are finite. That finite nature of experience recognizes that painful and negative experiences are not permanent, that hardship, discomfort and such will eventually pass. Remember, we’re aiming for equanimity or metal calmness. We aren’t disregarding the pain and persisting but recognizing the pain, acknowledging it and then understanding it is not permanent.
Forget Your Psychological Needs and Do The Work vs. Satisfy Your Psychological Needs and You’ll Work Harder Than Ever
Traditionally, there is a misconception that toughness and the ability to overcome hardship is necessary to achieve greatness. There are often stories about CEOs and startups neglecting everything in their lives in order to achieve greatness. If I can just hold my breath long enough then I will accomplish my goal and achieve everything I want. If I just keep my head down and work as hard as I can, I can overlook the mind-numbing work.
Instead, the argument is that by satisfying your psychological needs, you can in fact accomplish more and have the motivation to do so. This psychological need is separated into 3 areas: autonomy, competency, and belonging.
By activating and stimulating these 3 aspects as integral components of your difficult endeavor, you significantly increase the odds of accomplishing that endeavor because it satisfies your psychological needs.