A more interesting question, a question
that perhaps you’ve never considered before, is what pain do you want in
your life? What are you willing to struggle for? Because that seems to
be a greater determinant of how our lives turn out.
Everybody wants to have an amazing job
and financial independence — but not everyone wants to suffer through
60-hour work weeks, long commutes, obnoxious paperwork, to navigate
arbitrary corporate hierarchies and the blasé confines of an infinite
cubicle hell. People want to be rich without the risk, without the sacrifice, without the delayed gratification necessary to accumulate wealth.
Everybody wants to have great sex and an awesome relationship
— but not everyone is willing to go through the tough conversations,
the awkward silences, the hurt feelings and the emotional psychodrama to
get there. And so they settle. They settle and wonder “What if?” for
years and years until the question morphs from “What if?” into “Was that
it?” And when the lawyers go home and the alimony check is in the mail
they say, “What was that for?” if not for their lowered standards and
expectations 20 years prior, then what for?
Because happiness requires struggle.
The positive is the side effect of handling the negative. You can only
avoid negative experiences for so long before they come roaring back to
life.
(MarkManson.net)
(MarkManson.net)