Run towards the hardest problems
100 Essays on FoundHer #164
“Run towards the hardest problems. Hard problems really teach you what you are capable of.” -Dr. Lisa Su
The hardest challenges are easiest to accomplish. Not because it’s not physically or psychologically challenging but because as you do them it becomes easier. And also because no one else is willing to do it, so we overestimate the time it takes while simultaneously underestimating that it’s possible.
Fearing constraints and avoiding them will always make you avoid hard decisions and hard things. But, running towards the hardest challenges is what sets you up for exponential growth and success.
I didn’t back down nor fear for my knees when everyone else at my gym would show up late or make excuses just to avoid the stair master, in fact I would intentionally go towards it, not because I don’t love myself but because i do.
Because i know that hard today means easier tomorrow and that pain today means progress tomorrow and that we don’t win by running away from hard things but by staying long enough to see the results.
I come from my runs twice a week to go on the stair master for 10 minutes, at level one speed it is exhausting and at level two? Excruciating. But, with endurance and perseverance what once seemed like an insurmountable hurdle would become a mole hill.
I didn’t back down when almost 86 percent of my classmates ran to broadcast media under mass communication, avoiding print journalism courses because they heard that the lecturer fails students frequently and has strict marking standards. Turns out print media isn’t a breeze but, the “harsh” lecturer is very approachable, and puts things in place to make us learn easily and pass.
How do you know something until you try it? And how do you stick to good things without trying hard ones?
As funny as it sounds, hard problems won’t kill you, you might stumble, trip or fall but you won’t die. All hard things prepare you. You just haven’t tried the hard ones long enough to find out.