I got this idea from David Goggins and Andy Frisella. If you haven't read or listened to them before, I would definitely check them out.
I’m sure that there are several people who promote this idea, but these are the two guys who I think of first when I hear the words, “Do something you hate”.
If you want to truly get better in life, you can’t continue doing the same things every day. As the Albert Einstein saying goes… The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.
Growth does not come from comfort. Growth does not come from being static. Growth comes when you are outside of your comfort zone. Growth comes when you are doing something you’ve never done before. Growth comes from doing things that you absolutely hate doing!
When I first read this idea in David Goggins’ book Can’t Hurt Me… I immediately thought of a million things that I hate, but that I knew would make me a better person if I did them...
Reading. Running. Diet. Cold-calling clients. Waking up early. Going to bed early. Developing a strict routine. Introducing myself to strangers. Journaling. Skipping naps. The list goes on.
I'm sure you can relate to at least one of those things… getting better can be hard sometimes! Having discipline and telling yourself to do something that requires work can be hard!
Try this once and you'll understand that true growth happens when discomfort is present.
Wake up at 5am for one week and tell me you don’t feel like a better person.
Go for a one mile run every day for one week and tell me you don’t feel significantly better.
We all have an evil voice in our heads telling us, “No, don’t go outside and run in the cold. Don’t get out of this warm, soft bed. Why spend time reading when we can watch our favorite show on Netflix? This fast-food cheeseburger tastes way better than chicken and spinach!”
Our minds trick us into doing things that feel good in the moment but inevitably hurt us in the long run.
We must hear this voice, acknowledge it, and then DEFY IT.
I challenge you to take inventory of yourself right now. Think of one thing that you just can’t stand doing. And DO IT.
Do that one thing for 7 days straight, starting today.
After you’ve done it for 7 days straight, check back in with yourself. How do you feel? Did you get more work done this week? Did your relationships improve?
If you take on this challenge, please leave a comment and tell me what your “Hate Thing” is. In 7 days, come back to this post and tell me how your week went.
Get out there and do something you hate!
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