One Hard Thing Every Day - Elliot's Website

If you want to lead a meaningful life, you should do one hard thing every single day.

All of the things that I'm the most proud of have one common thread: they were hard.

Finishing side-projects
Buying a house
Being able to run again
Immigrating to the US
Building a world-class team
Starting a company
Helping others along the way

They were hard because they took time, persistent and sustained effort, faced significant setbacks, had moments of crisis, required personal sacrifice, or encountered times when I had no idea what to do next. Overcoming these challenges was immensely satisfying. Seeing them through to completion has brought a huge source of meaning to my life.

Another way to put this is that every big thing you want is on the other side of many smaller things you don't. Hard things are hard because you do not want to do them. Doing the things you do not want to do sucks, all of the time. Yet, it is ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL. I do not understand why it is this way, but the world works on people doing things they do not want to do.

The specific things will vary from person to person, but I believe that learning to do hard things is the same for everyone. And that it is fundamentally the same as learning any other skill. It requires practice. I strongly recommend daily practice. By definition, these are things you do not want to do, so it is extremely easy to let them slip. Working them into your routine is a solid antidote for this.

Personal list of hard things:

Cold shower Trite, but it works great, easy to work into a routine and wakes you up quick
Running / gym
Self-guided learning or study
Getting truly hungry before your next meal
Cold plunge / sauna

Hopefully these are helpful!