Theories on Life: Life is Hard.
Yep, it’s true, life is hard. Don’t let anybody tell you differently. Because the reality is that, if it was easy, it would suck. Those are two foundational rules for life. First, life is hard. Second, the harder you work on something the more rewarding it is. We all know those as basic principles, yet we spend our lives going back and forth trying to make things easier and complaining about how hard things are. It’s a conundrum, that’s for sure
When I look back at my life, without question, the things I value most are the ones I worked the hardest for. My family. My health. My business. My contentment. All excruciatingly difficult to manage and stay… well, sane.
Life is hard. Think about it. When you're young, after you’ve forgotten the pain of being born and then learning about a billion things in a few months, you’re forced to go to school and deal with teachers. Some good, some not so good. My kids don’t believe me, but I was young once. Went to grade school. High school. Even briefly attended University—wish I would have finished. But as my dad always said, “if wishes were horses, then beggars could ride”. I must tell you something probably politically incorrect. A lot of teachers suck at their jobs—I mean really suck. They could care less whether a child does well or does not. Someone being bullied, oh well, it will toughen them up. For me, the gym teachers were the worst. Ok maybe not all. For a few, many, it seemed like they had never left high school. They were the jocks when they went to school, and they want to stay that way. Stay cool. But alas the coolness has left them. They suck.
The things I value most are the ones I worked the hardest for.
It’s not just the gym teachers, it’s the whole category of schoolteachers. Grade school and high school. The ones that treat it as a job. Punch a clock. Could literally care less. And here is a message for you. You made school hard. It wasn’t the schoolwork. It wasn’t the homework. It was having to listen and learn from someone everyday who you knew were basically incompetent. Or even worse, just plain mean and stupid. You made it hard.
But there is a whole other type of teacher also. The good ones. The ones who care. Are engaged. Would help you when you need it. Be interested in what you have to say. Those are the teachers that change lives. Create quality human beings. The idiots just make it hard, and oddly, that makes the good ones stand out even more. Even today, almost forty years departed from my high school days, I chuckle when I hear my kids talk about the teachers they get. “I hope I get this teacher, or that teacher.” means they are a good teacher. “I hope I don’t get this one!” means they suck. Not that complicated, even the kids know. Now to all you great teachers out there, certainly the few I had, you made a difference in my life, and I appreciate it. And to all the ones who really sucked, well, I guess you had your purpose. People are the same in every profession. Some are great, and some are not, and some are downright horrible and make life hard. May as well learn young because it’s the same way when you grow up.
The more you take on and overcome, the more satisfied you become.
The funny thing is that life doesn’t really get easier. You grow up and meet new people, but the idiots are still there. It’s like some greater being designed the whole thing like a giant game of overcoming challenges. Some big challenges. Work is hard, but success comes through hard work. Raising kids is tough. Doing it right, if there is even such a thing, takes time and sacrifice. It’s hard. But I defy you to find anything more rewarding than the love of your children. The list of challenges is endless in life, but the more you take on and overcome, somehow the more satisfied you become. And some are really, really hard. Sick kids. Death. Bankruptcy. Even worse, maybe, not knowing what your challenge is. Not seeing what you have to overcome. Being lost may be the hardest challenge to overcome because you just don’t care enough to push through, because life is hard.
And that’s where it is. Life is hard. It is for everyone. No way around it. Sometimes it’s other people that make it hard. Sometimes it’s just shitty luck. Sometimes it’s just you, the challenge is you. But whatever it is, the one guarantee I can give you is that pushing through it is its own reward. The hard work is in itself, a reward and getting through it is the cherry on the cake. I guess the lesson is, whatever it is, put some effort in it. Maybe care a little more. If you spend a few hours making that dinner, even if it tastes like shit, you will feel good about the effort and maybe next time you do it you will enjoy a great meal. Good luck.
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