TOW #17 - If It Doesn't Suck, It's Not Worth Doing

If It Doesn’t Suck, It’s Not Worth Doing, by Benjamin P. Hardy, was one of the most interesting and thought-provoking pieces that I’ve read so far this year. I feel like it applies to my life, right this moment, and will continue to matter to me for the rest of it. The piece is all about things “worth doing.” Typically, we take on a task and continue it until we’re either bored, tired, or annoyed. We seldom go beyond this (the “40% rule” – we often don’t go beyond 40% of our potential because it is at this point that things become more difficult). However, the article suggests that in order to truly succeed and gain a sense of true self-fulfillment, we must push beyond this 40% mark, because if it doesn’t suck – that is, if it’s not difficult – then it’s not worth doing.

I agree wholeheartedly with Hardy’s claim. As I said, the article seems relevant to me as both a student and an athlete, and will apply to me when I get older, too.

As a student, I feel that I must get the best grades possible and in order to do so, I must temporarily sacrifice everything else (all other distractions, such as my phone, video games, and weekends with friends). I absolutely do have the ability to get done my “busy work” and scratch the surface of large assignments each night. After doing this, I’m almost always tired and would love to just grab my phone and scroll through my Instagram feed. However, school is something that I feel is worth doing, and for that reason, I complete the tasks that suck. I spend some extra time on an assignment due in a week and I stay up later than I should.

Hardy’s claim also resonates with me as an athlete. While I would love to be able to ignore the fitness aspect of soccer, I can’t. At most of my team’s practices, we have some sort of fitness element tied into the session. This is my absolute least favorite thing to do. I wish, more than anything, that we could just mess around and shoot the whole time. But going through the fitness drills is just as important as a technical drill, and for that reason – even though it sucks – I give my best effort in each and every fitness drill.

I have actually considered ideas similar to Hardy’s throughout this school year, prior to reading the article. It’s always easy to stop when it gets tough, but that is what separates those who become successful from those who don’t. As teenagers, doing something even when it sucks requires a great deal of maturity, but ultimately, it is worth it. It’s worth putting in the extra effort for a brief period of time so that in the end, you can achieve your goals and be able to look back and be proud of what you did.