31 Jan Do what you NEED to do so you can do what you WANT to do
I once read a quote that noted Usain Bolt trained for 4 years just to run for less than 10 seconds!
I guess you could say he trained for longer than that, longer than the pre-Olympic period, because presumably he’d been training for most of his life.
The point then was, why do so many of us give up too early, or not put in the hard work we need to put in to enjoy the victories and benefits we want to enjoy?
Before I explore that a bit further, let me clarify an important point. Although I love sport and think we can learn a lot from elite athletes, I also think it’s important to point out the obvious which is that MOST of us are not elite athletes, we never will be, and life is NOT a competitive sport.
To put it simply, life and sport are not one and the same!
That being said, as already noted, there are lessons we can learn from athletes and sportspeople and one of these lessons does come from the aforementioned story. Most of us don’t do the hard work needed to enjoy the feelings of satisfaction and happiness that come from standing on the victory podium.
Why? Well, there are many reasons but some include not being able to adequately imagine ourselves being victorious, or not being able to clearly see the goal we want to achieve. For others, it’s about not really prioritising that which is really important. And for others still, it might be attributable to not properly seeing or valuing the benefits that will come from the efforts, the pleasure that will come from the pain.
More often than not, however, real and meaningful success and happiness does require some sacrifice, some hard work, some pain or discomfort. Some form of suffering is almost always a prerequisite for the joy and contentment we all want.
So, if you want more happiness and satisfaction in life then …
… determine what “work” needs to be done and make it a priority in your life and do it! Train hard so you can live well, get that dental work or procedure done NOW so you can enjoy less pain or a better life LATER, take a longer term perspective on life and realise that the pain and suffering will pass, but the glories of victory and happiness that comes from accomplishment will last much longer!