Do hard things

I wish I could tell you that it is different than it actually is.

Here is how it actually is: you must you get to do hard things.

I wish I could tell you that there is some way to “know” that you are ready.

Here is how it actually is: you must you get to do hard things.

I wish I could tell you that there is a guarantee on the other side of your fear.

Here is how it actually is: you must you get to do hard things.

I wish that rewards came to anyone simply by virtue of their character, by being a good person.

Here is how it actually is: you must you get to do hard things.

I wish that it could be like the movies and after persisting, there’d be a breakthrough and life would never again have valleys.

Here is how it actually is: you must you get to do hard things.

This is Not a Disaster

This is not a disaster. It’s imperative that we all stop, and recognize something: we’ve been conditioned.

We’ve been conditioned to think that there are people who get to entirely bypass suffering, in life.

You’ve been conditioned to think…that you’ll just “know” that you’re ready and thus have unwavering confidence; that there are guarantees if you just move into your fear; that good people always win; that there are breakthroughs where life is never again difficult or challenging.

But—this news, that our conditioning is wrong, is not a disaster.

I think that it’s an opportunity.

I think that we waste a lot of time, waiting around for life to look like our conditioning. I think that we have more gains when we don’t “know” if we are ready but we go out on a limb in the direction of our dreams, anyway. I think that nothing builds character quite like being the good person who learns from failure. I think that life’s best breakthroughs will only ever open the door to more challenging questions.

Stop Waiting

From a young age I remember being acutely aware that with every passing day, I’ve got one less day of life. That’s just how the fortunes of time tip, for all of us.

This awareness can be one of two things: anxiety-inducing, or highly motivating.

Stop waiting.

You want to write a book? Start a business? Fall in love? Campaign for justice? Paint murals? Learn languages and travel the world? Experience multiple orgasms? Go back to school and major in something impractical? Become an activist? Move to an entirely new city?

Stop waiting for guarantees, confidence, or to “know” anything.

You won’t get it, and every moment that you wait is one less day of your life.

You’ve got the gift of something precious, here, with this air in your lungs. That’s all the gift you need. No special talent and no special connections required. You’ll get your knocks and bruises just like everyone else. And because you went out on a limb in the name of your deep dream? You’ll get something bolder and bigger than you could have imagined: your courageous life.