I’m not quite sure where the human race went wrong, but we’ve developed some unhealthy masochistic tendencies.
Many religious teachings reinforce the idea that pain and torment are the hallmarks of the pious, and Immanuel Kant’s philosophy established selflessness as the foundation of morality.
If it’s enjoyable, then it’s bad.
If it’s for your own pleasure, then it’s evil.
This obsession with pain is rampant in our societies, where we tend to value hard work over great results.
The effort you put in seems to be more valuable than the results you get out.
The efficient and productive workers seem to “have it easy” and “don’t work as hard as their coworkers.”
Working at a job you hate sounds like the responsible thing to do. If you enjoy your work, then you’re just playing around and need to “grow up.”
If you don’t suffer, you don’t succeed.
Or so our culture says.
But pain is a bad thing. No human being should voluntarily seek out pain, especially when there are painless alternatives.
I would even say that you can usually get better results, with less pain.
If you’re willing to let go of this whole idea that pain is a virtue, you’ll realize that you can work smarter, instead of having to work harder.
Instead of doing everything manually, you can figure out ways to automate repetitive tasks.
Instead of trying to do everything yourself, you can get others to help you out.
Instead of approaching work with the mindset that “this sucks, but I have to do it,” you look for ways to make the work more enjoyable (if it can’t be avoided).
Instead of wasting your life in a job you hate, you pursue the work you enjoy and feel passionate about.
Pain is your body’s way of telling you something is wrong. Continuing with the pain means you’re ignoring your body’s signal and going against your own needs.
Sooner or later your body will give in and you may blow a mental fuse (or two).
There are some pursuits that involve hard work, but that doesn’t mean that you should make the work feel painful.
Try and make every endeavor as enjoyable as you can make it.
Add excitement and fun to the pursuit of every goal.
How can I make this more exciting? How can I make this more fun? How can I make this easier?
You’ll realize that you’ll be able to stick with goals for longer and get better results if you don’t feel obliged to experience pain.
No pain, more gain.