The Hardest Thing About Life

Life is generally pretty easy.

There are definitely hard parts, and some people are born or forced into terrible situations, but overall, for the vast majority of the world’s population, life isn’t as complicated or difficult as people make it out to be.

We all go through hardships every once in a while, whether they be financial, emotional, or physical. But for the most part, time and a little effort resolves these issues.

Another big factor in getting over hardship is mindset.

Life becomes much easier when you adopt a problem solving mindset.

Unfortunate things happen and initially you may think “why?”

“Why did this happen to me?”

It’s fine to think that, but don’t dwell on it. Accept what’s happened and consciously shift from a “why” mindset to a “how” mindset.

“How can I fix or achieve this?”

Do this often enough and it will eventually become your default.

When the “how” mindset becomes your default, most problems, although they may be hard to solve, become solvable, and having that in the back of your mind makes the process of life easier.

There is, however, one area of life that is both the best and the hardest.

That area is love, and there are two aspects to it that I struggle with.

The first is passion in work, that is, finding love in what you do day in and day out.

Something that you contribute to the world.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the lifestyle I have created for myself via my small internet business, but it is not my passion. It’s not something I am obsessed with. There’s no one thing that I am contributing to the world that I can see myself doing until the day I die.

The second is love for a partner.

I think I messed this up from a young age, and as I’ve matured I’ve repeated the same two mistakes.

The first mistake is falling in love too easily. I actually don’t think this is bad. It hurts, but it’s not bad. It does, however, lead to the second mistake, which is not going all in when it counts.

Like finding passion in life, finding love in people requires focus.

Not to say that you can’t love more than one person. You can’t control your feelings, at least I can’t. But you can choose whether or not to act on them.

If I ever have a son, I think I will give him the following advice about love for a partner:

Date a lot when you’re a teenager, and don’t be afraid of rejection. If you like someone, be bold. Then, when you are no longer a teenager, have the intent to find the right partner, and when you do, hold onto that person.

When you love what you do or who you are with, life is incredible, but I don’t think it is a requirement for happiness.

For sure, the loss of love can lead to great sadness, but it is definitely worth not giving up on it.

If you are young, you may think it is best to never find love. You can’t miss what you’ve never had, right?

But I urge you not to; the highs far outweigh the potential lows. Embrace the ups and downs and the ebbs and flows. Those are what make life interesting.