CEO CHAT : Anything Difficult Is Worth Doing September 26th, 2019
WHY IS ANYTHING WORTH DOING SO DIFFICULT?
Hi, Shesh, this is Irina. Thank you so much for sharing your experience and knowledge through CEO Chronicles.
I have a question – why are the things that are really worth doing so difficult to do? For example, take the four steps you have described in your articles, “Six Steps To Promotion” and “How Do I Get a Promotion?“. While each of those steps is very valuable, none of them are easy to implement.
IT IS THE DIFFICULT THINGS THAT ARE WORTH DOING
Hi, Irina, that is an interesting question! I hope you can follow my reasoning below :
1. The things worth doing are those that few people can do and most people aspire to do. Things like climbing a tall mountain, writing a great book, winning a football championship, or becoming a senior manager.
2. When something can be achieved only by a few people, it becomes valuable (scarcity value).
3. The reason that only some people can do these is because they are hard to do. Writing a book takes months of work and knowledge and editing and reviews. If they were easy (like spending time on Facebook or WhatsApp), everyone would be able to do them, and thus they would not have any ‘worth’.
4. So, the question is actually to be turned around to give you the answer – it is the hard things in life that are really worth doing. Why? Because they give us pride, joy and a sense of achievement. They also differentiate us from the others who don’t or can’t do the same things we can. They make us feel special and valued.
May I share what Theodore Roosevelt said?
“Nothing in the world is worth having or doing unless it means effort and pain. I have never in my life envied a human being who led an easy life. I have envied a great many people who led difficult lives and let them well.”
Would you agree?
