The Suck Is Why We're Here: Embracing Difficulty

The article presents a compelling argument that difficulty is not an obstacle to avoid but a necessary component of meaningful achievement. It challenges the common desire for comfort and ease, suggesting instead that the most rewarding experiences in life and work are characterized by significant struggle.

Through examining various contexts including entrepreneurship and personal development, the piece demonstrates how embracing hardship builds resilience, character, and ultimately leads to greater satisfaction. The central thesis is that the things worth doing are inherently difficult, and this difficulty is precisely what gives them value.

Meaningful accomplishments rarely come easily. The article argues that achievement and difficulty are inseparable partners in any worthwhile endeavor. When people pursue goals that require significant effort and perseverance, they develop capabilities that would otherwise remain dormant.

This relationship between struggle and growth appears across different domains:

• Entrepreneurial ventures that face constant obstacles
• Creative projects demanding persistent refinement
• Personal transformations requiring sustained discipline

The common thread is that avoiding difficulty leads to stagnation. Without challenges to overcome, individuals and organizations fail to develop the strength and wisdom necessary for substantial success.

The pursuit of comfort and ease might seem logical, but the article reveals its fundamental flaw. Comfort provides short-term relief but long-term dissatisfaction. When challenges are absent, growth stops, and with it, the sense of progress and purpose that makes life meaningful.

Research and experience show that humans adapt quickly to comfortable circumstances. What initially feels like relief soon becomes the new baseline, requiring even greater ease to maintain the same level of satisfaction. This creates a cycle of diminishing returns.

Conversely, difficult experiences create lasting memories and build genuine confidence. The struggle itself becomes a source of pride and a foundation for future challenges. This explains why people often look back on their hardest experiences as their most valuable.

The article advocates for a fundamental shift in perspective: rather than avoiding difficulty, we should actively seek it out. This doesn't mean pursuing pain for its own sake, but rather choosing challenges that align with meaningful goals.

Practical approaches include:

• Selecting projects that stretch current capabilities
• Viewing setbacks as learning opportunities rather than failures
• Building tolerance for discomfort through gradual exposure
• Focusing on long-term growth over short-term comfort

The key insight is that the suck - the difficult, frustrating, uncomfortable parts of any journey - is not a bug but a feature. It's what makes the eventual success meaningful and what makes us capable of achieving even more in the future.

Ultimately, the article makes a powerful case that struggle is the price of admission for a meaningful life. The most successful and fulfilled people are not those who avoid difficulty, but those who understand its transformative power.

This perspective changes how we approach goals. Instead of asking "How can I make this easier?" the question becomes "Is this difficulty serving my growth?" When the answer is yes, the struggle becomes not just tolerable but desirable.

The article concludes that embracing difficulty is the surest path to becoming the person capable of achieving our most ambitious goals. The suck is indeed why we're here - not as punishment, but as opportunity.