You can do the Hard Thing now, or the Hard Thing later- you must choose one.
Life inevitably presents challenges. No matter who you are, navigating the human experience entails facing difficulties. You cannot hit your Financial Goals without diligently working toward them.
Often without realizing it, your actions can make life harder. Now is the time to ease your burden and aim for a simpler, more content existence.
The empowering truth is that you have the power to choose your challenges. You can opt for the tough path now or postpone your struggles indefinitely.
“Doing the Hard Thing” is what I call putting immediate impulses and instant gratification aside now in pursuit of a bigger payoff later.
Instant vs. Delayed Gratification
Hard work is demanding. Burning the midnight oil, putting in extra hours at work, spending time learning how to budget—these tasks are tough. But they're nothing compared to the hardship of being broke, especially later in life.
I decided at the age of 17 when I was living on my own in a Free apartment in a bad part of town- to do the Hard Thing now. I chose to learn everything I could about managing money, investing, and winning with money as soon as possible so I could change my life forever.
Those moments were tough. But if I hadn’t made significant changes in my life, I’d still be in the same dire situation today that I was at 17 yers old.
Consider these other hardships:
Having tough conversations is daunting, but so is dealing with failed relationships.
Exercising regularly is hard, but living with preventable chronic disease is even harder.
Eating healthy can be challenging, but dealing with obesity is much harder.
Being financially disciplined requires effort, but being in debt is much harder.
The choice is yours: will life be tough temporarily or permanently?
If you're not happy with your situation, look at your daily habits. Choosing apathy and procrastination might make life easier now, but it'll only make things harder in the future.
If you flip that around, yes, it’s tough now, but it’ll get easier over time. It’s about choosing between immediate gratification and delayed gratification.
Delayed Gratification
Delayed gratification means putting in the work now, knowing that you might not see the results for months or even years. But when they do come, they'll be incredibly satisfying.
Instant Gratification
Instant gratification is easier and that’s why many people choose it. But fast forward ten years and imagine a life where you always choose instant gratification. You may not be happy.
Right now, I might want to sit on the couch and eat pizza. Sounds great, doesn’t it? (yes it does).
But if I do that every day for the next thirty years, my body, finances, mind, and relationships won’t be where I want them to be.
Your life today is the result of countless small decisions made over the past decade or more. But the great thing is that you have the power to change what your life will look like in the next few years, based on the small decisions you make starting right now.
You are in control of your life. It’s up to you to make the right choices. So, which path will you choose? To do the Hard Thing now, or the Hard Thing later?