The Hard Choices
I hear this phrase a lot:
“Make the hard choices.”
It’s plastered across motivational posts and repeated by the most successful people on the planet. For many, it seems to be the foundation of success.
But what exactly is a hard choice?
Is there a range?
Or is it something more definitive?
Over the last year and some change I’ve explored this concept through experimentation and by studying the life stories of hundreds of people.
And I’m a little surprised by what I’ve learned.
It’s Not Always About the Work
Online gurus and motivational speakers will tell you that the thing holding you back is the work you’re avoiding.
And once you finally make the “hard choice” to do that work, greatness and fortune will follow.
You can’t go from zero to sixty in one move.
And even if you manage it, you won’t be able to sustain it.
You need momentum that keeps you at sixty, not just a single burst.
This is a partial lie.
Here’s a simple analogy:
Let’s say you want to become an elite cyclist.
You dream about it, read about it
Maybe even imagine yourself winning the Tour de France.
Do you think you can just hop on a bike and compete with world-class athletes?
Can you push through 3,500 km over 23 days?
If you believe you can do that without preparation, you’re probably suffering from a severe case of the Dunning-Kruger effect. And life is rarely kind to people who pedestal themselves.
Making “hard choices” starts small, and it starts with the self. It’s about training yourself to do what you don’t want to do.
The bigger the dream
The harder the choices.
The Basics
One of the first things I learned is that making hard choices always begins with the basics.
And by basics, I mean the essential routines every person has to maintain just to exist.
How you handle these basics determines 99% of your life.
Here’s a non-exhaustive list of “hard choices” I’ve come to respect:
Sleeping at a fixed time
Quitting a toxic work environment
Exercising intensely, five days a week
Reading or learning for one hour daily
Waking up at the same time every day
Cutting off people who drain your energy
Avoiding food that harms your body or mind
See the pattern?
Here’s a non-exhaustive list of “hard choices” I’ve come to respect:
Sleeping at a fixed time
Quitting a toxic work environment
Exercising intensely, five days a week
Reading or learning for one hour daily
Waking up at the same time every day
Cutting off people who drain your energy
Avoiding food that harms your body or mind
See the pattern?
Putting yourself first is a hard choice.
Stick to it for a year, and you’re already 99% of the way there.
The Intermediates
The next stage is directing your energy
and your physical and mental output in the right direction.
This is where things get hard especially if you’re conditioned to expect instant results. Most of your effort won’t bring visible rewards for a long time. If that scares you, you’ve got a “hard choice” to make.
Be content with what you have, or grind a little each day and see where you land in a year or two.
Let me use myself as an example.
I started this newsletter about a year and a half ago.
I’ve struggled with it more than I ever expected.
Why?
Because in the grand scheme of things, I’m a nobody.
My social presence is limited.
I haven’t done anything noteworthy or gone viral.
And yet, every two weeks I show up with a letter I’ve spent days researching and writing.
None of them get the attention I think they deserve.
But I keep going.
Not out of stubbornness
But because this has changed my life.
To a small extent, it has elevated my profile.
To a large extent, it has made me more confident.
To a massive extent, it has made me bolder in how I approach life.
It’s transformed how I see myself.
I take my own thoughts and words more seriously now.
I no longer measure myself by other people’s likes or approval.
Every day, I make the “hard choice” to keep going.
Looking back, I’ve actually achieved a few things.
Click for proof.
Make Your Hard Choice
You have to make the hard choice to commit and to keep going
Even when it feels pointless.
If you’re serious about achieving that thing that keeps you up at night, know this:
There is no breaking point.
There’s just the “hard choice” to keep going and—
One day, you’ll wake up and realize the thing that once felt impossible now feels natural.
But that only happens if you choose to keep going.
Not once.
Not twice.
But every single day.
So here’s your challenge:
Make the “hard choice”
Even if no one sees it
Even if it sucks
Even if you’re not sure it’s working.
Not for validation.
Not for applause.
Just to prove to yourself that you can.
You made it to the end. That means you liked it or you’re very patient. Either way, subscribe, share, and tell your friends. I need a big network for reasons.
For moving pictures and questionable facial expressions, check out YouTube @dygres.