Why You Should Seek What Feels Tough - More Than Growth

Next Weekend, I am going to do a Spartan Ultra Race.

It's a Difficult Race.

50 Kilometers/31 Miles with 60 Obstacles.

Walls, Ropes, Boulders, Sandbags, and More.

All in One Day.

It's not the first time I've done this Race.

However, it's the first time since my Injury.

October 22nd, 2022.

I went into the Race feeling Optimistic.

Early in the race, I went over a Wall.

Perfectly Up.

Imperfectly Down.

My Knee went in a direction that my body did Not enjoy.

It was the first time I had ever felt like Quitting a Race.

I almost did.

My Family was at the Mid-Point, Cheering me on.

It was exactly what I needed at that Moment.

I finished the Race.

Recovery took longer than I'd Hoped, but I'm Back.

I'm Excited, yet there is also Fear.

I have a Better Plan than I've had in the Past.

Yet, the Recovery Lingers in my Mind.

Will it Happen Again?

Am I Ready?

I Know Many People in a Similar Position would Choose to Stay Home.

I Understand.

Part of me wants to as well.

However, I will do the thing that Feels Tough.

Why?

Why would I Risk that?

Well, something I've Learned is that in Life, there are Many Benefits to doing those things that are Tough.

Of course, there is Growth.

You can Only Grow if you Push Further.

But there is More to it.

Another aspect is Flow States.

Flow States are where we Perform and Feel our Best.

How do you get to Flow?

The Challenge-To-Skill Ratio.

4%.

That is the Goal.

The Challenge needs to be about 4% Higher than your Current Skills.

If you get to Flow, the World Feels like it Unlocks.

The Scientists call it "Autotelic".

As Humans, we Pursue Flow for its own Sake.

You do Not need to be Paid to Pursue Flow.

You do Not need "Any" Incentive to Pursue Flow.

Only "Feeling" Flow for its own Sake.

However, there is something I think is More Important than even this for "Why" we should Pursue Tough things in Life.

Think about it like this...

When You Talk about the Most Defining Experiences in your Life, what do You say?

Do you say the things that are Easy?

Do you Focus on the Dreary?

No.

Of Course Not.

We Always look at the things that were Tough.

This is "Why" we should Pursue Tough Things in Life.

They Define Us.

Our Lives become Defined by the Tough Things that We Do and Accomplish.

The Challenges.

What We've Overcome.

What We Were Afraid Of, but Survived.

These become Lessons.

They Reveal to us Who We Are.

What We're Capable Of.

The Truth is that We are Capable of "So Much More" than we Realize.

Yet, Few people ever Find their Potential.

They Play It Safe.

They Avoid Tough Thing.

They Learn Helplessness.

I Understand the Desire to Flee.

To Hide.

To Panic.

I Understand because I Feel it Too.

It is "Human" to Feel these.

Yet, they Do Not "Need" to Define Us.

Many people Believe that "Courage" is being Fearless.

That is Wrong.

Courage is "Having" Fear, but Proceeding Anyways.

It is Moving "Despite" the Fear.

It is Looking Fear in the Eyes and Saying, "You Won't Stop Me".

"You Can't Stop Me."

Two Years ago, Yes, I did get Injured.

But the "Injury" Will Not Define Me.

My "Perseverance" Will Define Me.

Percusus Resurgo, Invictus, Amor Fati.

Stricken, I Rise.

Unconquerable.

Loving Fate.

Yes, I was Injured.

But I also Recovered.

Yes, it was Not my Best Day.

But I Overcame.

The Fall Does Not Define Us.

Getting Back Up Does.

The Tough Things in Life become Defining Moments.

They Teach Us.

They Reveal to Us.

They Prove to Us just how Amazing We Truly Are.