DO NOT Challenge Yourself! | Bad Job Diaries #1
My name is Oliver, my childhood dream job turned out to be a proper sucky one, and this is what I learned:
Let's start off with a big one: challenging yourself for the sake of a challenge is one big, over-hyped, nonsensical, steaming mess! ??
"Wait, Oliver!" I hear you say, "do you mean the so-called one of the most important things we can do to increase our quality of life?"
Yes, precisely that big, over-hyped, nonsensical, steaming mess. ??
Let me take you back to the moment, I realized that my "dream summer job" wasn’t what I was promised: it was only day 3 and holy cow, did I hate everything:
Well, at least the food was quite nice, I guess! But overall, not great, to say the least. ??
So I proceeded as I felt I should: I did not tear up my contract and disappear in the middle of the night, I did not throw a fit, I did not go to rant about your experiences online (you do that strictly only after the experience! ??). Instead, as a believer in communication, I went and spoke about the issues to the company management, my colleagues, and my family.
But rather than a proposed solution or a creative resolution to make things better, the main thing I kept hearing from everyone (including my family) was:
Oh, give me a break! Incur A LOT of opportunity cost, get treated like trash, hate my life for several months, abandon my habits, and completely screw up my sleep schedule just to "challenge myself"? ??
I’ve heard all the stuff about getting out of your comfort zone, but I’m sorry… Did I miss the meeting when it was announced that the goal of our lives was to purposefully make ourselves miserable just because…? ??
...because of some bollocks about mental toughness? ??
Does my ID say Siddhártha Gautama? ??
I didn’t think so! (it clearly says "McLovin"! #IfYouKnowTheReferenceYouRock ??) To me, if you wish to get out of your comfort zone and challenge yourself, do it for something bigger than “ooh, I’m tough”. Let me hit you with three examples:
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Example 1: You challenge yourself to give up sugar for a month.
Good challenge? Yeah, sure: it will be challenging, you will struggle, but it will improve your health quite a bit and you might even lose a pound or two, getting you that beach bod' of dreams! ????
Example 2: With a big project ahead, you challenge yourself to work overtime every night for two weeks.
Good challenge? Yeah, sure: it will be challenging, and you’ll mess up your sleep temporarily, but at least you make extra money for your family, so you can finally take them on that vacation cruise you promised! ??
Example 3: You want to start a religion by showing how mentally tough you are.
Okay, that's a different story, because then you actually are Siddhártha Gautama. ????♂?
You see, I’m not hating on challenging yourself, I’m just CHALLENGING (pun fully intended) the notion that you have to keep filling your life with things you hate just because of mental toughness. In my opinion, there has to be some other clear reward - be it improved health, wealth, or relationships. If there is no such ‘other reward’, for me, it’s not worth it. ????♂?
I mean, there is a very good reason why none of us do the "Stab your foot for 5 minutes every day" challenge... ??
...or the "Don't get out of bed, consume 4000 calories worth of Chinese takeaway daily whilst filling your schedule only with playing Skyrim on PlayStation or watching Rick and Morty episodes for a month" challenge. ???? (...although this one does sound awfully like me during the week after I finish my exams, now that I come to think of it… ??)
Would these challenges increase your mental toughness?
You betcha'!???
But would it be worth it?
ˉ\_(ツ)_/ˉ
All in all, challenging yourself = cool. But if you plan to struggle, do it for something greater, with mental toughness coming along as a cool extra freebie. ?? Kinda like the free toy that they give you with a HappyMeal: it’s a nice addition but it’s not the main thing to buy the meal for.
Life is way too short to live a miserable one for no reason. ??