What’s Hard About Doing Hard Stuff?

I’d like to present a perspective today about what makes doing hard stuff, so “hard” for us.

Let’s consider these three words and their definitions first. We need to understand what they mean to be able to better understand the relationship between what we are saying and how we are feeling.

Hard:

1.      (adjective) Solid, firm, and rigid; not easily broken, bent or pierced. Done with a great deal of force or strength.

2.      (adverb) With a great deal of effort. So as to be solid or firm.

Difficult: (all adjective)

1.      Needing much effort or skill to accomplish, deal with, or understand.

2.      Characterized by or causing hardships or problems.

3.      Not easy to please or satisfy.

Complex:

1.      (adjective) Consisting of many different and connected parts. Not easy to analyze or understand; complicated or intricate.

2.      (noun: psychoanalysis) A related group of emotionally significant ideas that are completely or partly repressed and that cause psychic conflict leading to abnormal mental states or behavior. A disproportionate concern or anxiety about something.

Usually when most of us say something like “why does this have to be so hard?’ Or “this is too hard” I don’t think we’re using the right words in most cases.

I also don’t think most of the challenges in front of us we’re calling “hard” are actually hard. I think we’re probably indirectly referring to our ego or perspective making things hard. As if we know we’re being hard-headed or stubborn.

How many times have you gotten better at something “hard” and as you progressed your perspective about it changed? Better yet, as you learned, your perspective and feelings changed?

Here are some thoughts: ( What do you think? )

Things can be difficult and not complex. (mostly true / mostly false)

Things can be complex and not difficult. (mostly true / mostly false)

Things can be difficult and complex. (mostly true / mostly false)

Anything can be hard if we decide it is. (mostly true / mostly false)

What’s harder to work through than our own ego or perspective?

Is our own unwillingness to move or to bend creating tension, making things hard?

Are we possibly choosing to make things more difficult or complex unintentionally?

Could surrender or release of our perspective towards a challenge open us up for learning and make things less difficult?

I think we often choose to make things more difficult or complex than necessary and if we can temper our ego and alter our perspective, things can be much better.

What do you think?