The world’s most valuable skill is learning how to enjoy suffering.
Unfortunately, our dopamine-addicted, instant gratification world keeps people from ever learning how to do it. They spend hours (and usually a ton of money) trying to get their next dopamine-fix , all the while failing to realize that this is not how to get long-lasting pleasure.
What you have to realize is that embracing suffering and seeing it as good is the only way forward to a meaningful and practical life.
I know, because I wasted so much time and energy pursuing the next hack to get more happiness in my life.
But, my loss is your gain.
I just finished reading Can't Hurt Me by David Goggins. He's inspirational, a wonderful figure, but above all, he is perseverant.
Here are 3 key takeways from the book:
Suffering is not bad. In fact, it is necessary and good.
Suffering is what we must go through to achieve any long-lasting and meaningful impact in life. Suffering changes us over time to become better, resilient, and more skilled. Goggins talks about how he went to the gym, and his hands were originally hurt because of the roughness of the bar. Over time, he lifted more and more. His hands developed thick calluses which protected him from such impact. Seek suffering on a daily basis.
See yourself as a hero, not a victim.
It is a depressing life to live where you have no control over your circumstances. If everything happens to you, you have no control over such outcomes and therefore, cannot do anything about it. Seeing yourself as a hero gives you control and motivation to change your circumstances.
Hold Yourself Accountable
Goggins talks about the Accountability Mirror, where he goes in front of the mirror and holds himself accountable to his goals. In a way, this replaces your parents' job as a child. As a child, your parents' goal (if they were good parents) was to hold you accountable, both to your goals and your parent's tasks that they give you. If you do what you are assigned to do, you are rewarded. If you neglect it, you are punished.
Become your own accountability partner.
I wish I had this growing up. But now, I can become even stronger.