Trying Hard Things

In Angela Duckworth’s now iconic book, Grit: the power of passion and perseverance, she discusses the Hard Thing Rule.? Since first reading the book in 2017, I have tried to adopt the Hard Thing Rule.? It has three parts:

1. You always have to be striving towards one hard thing.? Something that requires daily deliberate practice and there is a high possibility of “failure.”
2. You are allowed to quit but cannot do so until the season (whatever that looks like) is over.? You must at least fulfill your obligation to trying the Hard Thing for a sustained period of time and not give up too soon.
3. Only you can pick your Hard Thing.? Nobody can or should pick your Hard Thing for you.? This will drive ownership and accountability.

My most recent Hard Thing was to compete in my first Olympic distance triathlon.? For those of you unfamiliar, it entails a .93-mile swim, 24.8-mile bike, and 6.2-mile run.? It was brutal. I never expected the level of difficulty that I was up against.

Prior to the race, I was sharing my fear of the swim with my friend Constantine (Tanner) Daskalakis, CPA and talking about how far the orange buoy that was a half mile out into the lake looked – it appeared to be a city away.? We had to swim around the buoy and back and it looked like an eternity.? My training had been in the comfort of the beautiful lap pool at Ohio State’s RPAC, which has calm waters and a line painted at the bottom to ensure you are going straight. Tanner replied, “Ty, your adrenaline will carry you through for the first half-mile and your endurance and grit will get you through the rest.”? I could tell I was psyching myself out and did my best to believe him.?

When the race started, I jumped in the water with hesitation.? 10 minutes in, I found myself gasping for air and hanging off the side of a kayak.? I had a panic attack.? The volume of people swimming around me in the deep, dark, murky water got the best of me.? Looking out in the distance to the orange buoy that now looked even further away, I started telling myself there was absolutely no way I could finish.? The woman on the kayak even asked if I wanted to be taken into the shore.? After a couple of minutes of stabilizing my breath and calming my nerves, I started swimming again and for the next three and a half hours I slogged away to complete my first triathlon with a smile on my face.? Despite there being multiple times when I wanted to throw in the towel and give up, I knew deep down that I had trained hard enough to finish the Hard Thing that I signed up for.

Trying Hard Things has taught me two very important skills over the years:

1. Mental fortitude: a skill that can be developed by trying Hard Things.? It is a form of emotional mastery that when in the face of pain or adversity, we are able to push forward.? Despite the unknown curve balls that life will undoubtedly throw at us, I am more prepared to embrace them head on with a smile on my face.
2. Confidence: trying a Hard Thing and accomplishing it creates the positive momentum that one needs to try the next Hard Thing.? Knowing that I have done Hard Things before, gives me the confidence to take on the next one without the feeling that the goal is insurmountable.

Overall, Duckworth’s Hard Things Rule is an excellent recipe for anyone at any stage in life.? For me, it has forced me to stop making excuses.? I’m sure that most of us have had a goal that lingers in the back of our mind for a very long time, but we have never fully pursued it.? Our days are long, but the years are short and the Hard Things Rule forces us to act.? There is no better time than to start today.?

I’m not exactly sure what my next Hard Thing will be, but one thing is for certain: I’m going to keep trying Hard Things and I encourage others to do so as well!