Everything Sucks Eventually — So Choose Your Hard

Every Path Is Hard — So Choose One Worth Suffering For

I’ve been a little MIA lately.

And if you’ve followed this podcast for a while, you know that’s not normal for me.

No matter how chaotic life got, I always found a way to put out an episode.

But lately?

Life has been full.

Not bad.
Not miserable.
Actually… incredibly meaningful.

But full.

My nonprofit has exploded in the best way possible. We’re in schools. We’re building literacy programs. We’re helping kids with confidence and belonging. We’re creating events with Special Forces veterans — something I dreamed about when I first started this mission.

And I love it.

I really do.

But at the same time, I’ve had to accept something:

You cannot do everything at 100% all the time.

Sometimes life moves in seasons.

And right now, I’m in a season where the nonprofit needs me more.

That doesn’t mean I stopped loving the podcast.

I love the podcast because I get to meet incredible people. I get to learn. I get to connect. I get to ask questions that genuinely change the way I think about life.

And honestly, that’s exactly what happened during my conversation with Andrew Sridhar

At one point, he said:

“Everything sucks. Like at some point, everything sucks.”

And weirdly enough… I loved that answer.

Because it’s true.

He followed it up by saying:

“Being a SEAL sucks in so many ways.”

People romanticize hard things.

They see the highlight reel.

The title.
The accomplishment.
The success story.

But they don’t see:

• the freezing cold

• the exhaustion

• the boredom

• the rejection

• the uncertainty

• the constant pressure

Even Jocko has talked about how miserable parts of being a SEAL were. Sitting in freezing water. Riding in those boats soaked and shivering. Being borderline hypothermic.

That’s not fun.

But the point isn’t that hard things are fun.

The point is:

You choose your hard.

Andrew said something else that stuck with me:

“The people who do it are the ones who chose that hard.”

That line hit me hard because lately, I’ve been realizing this applies to literally everything.

Running a nonprofit is hard.

Running a business is hard.

Starting over is hard.

Going to the gym is hard.

And honestly? Even getting out of bed sometimes feels hard.

Photo by Kate Stone Matheson on Unsplash

Lately I’ve been forcing myself to go to the gym even when I don’t want to. Not because I love every second of it. I don’t. Sometimes I feel lethargic. Sometimes I don’t want to work. Sometimes I want to lay in bed and shut my brain off.

But I go anyway.

Not because I’m special.

But because life itself requires effort.

I think sometimes we look at successful people — millionaires, billionaires, celebrities, athletes, entrepreneurs — and assume they somehow escaped hardship.

Like once you “make it,” life suddenly becomes easy.

But that’s not true.

They still have stress.
They still have pressure.
They still lose people.
They still struggle.
They still feel fear, uncertainty, loneliness, burnout, and failure.

Money solves certain problems.
Success solves certain problems.

But nobody escapes being human.

Everyone has something they’re carrying.

That actually reminds me of The Outsiders when the rich girl, Cherry says:

“We have problems you’ve never even heard of.”

I love that line because it reminds us that pain is universal.

The wealthy have problems.
The poor have problems.
Entrepreneurs have problems.
Employees have problems.
Parents have problems.
Everyone is carrying something.

No one gets an easy life.

And honestly, that realization has made me less judgmental.

Because we’re all fighting battles nobody fully sees.

I also think people overcomplicate starting.

People ask me all the time:
“How did you become an author?”

Truthfully?

I just started.

I didn’t know what I was doing.

I Googled things.
I watched YouTube videos.
I asked questions.
I figured it out step by step.

That’s what most successful people do.

They start before they feel ready.

People want to be spoon-fed success.

But nobody can walk you across the finish line.

Coach Mac used to say something I’ll never forget:

“I can give you all the tools, but I cannot take you to the finish line.”

That part is on you.

And honestly, lately, I’ve gotten to a point in life where I almost laugh when things go wrong.

Not because I enjoy suffering.

But because life punches everyone eventually.

And once you accept that?

You stop acting shocked every time something gets hard.

You just adapt.

You breathe.

You pivot.

You keep moving.

A lot of the Special Forces guys I’ve interviewed talk about laughing during Hell Week.

Laughing during near-death situations.

Laughing during complete chaos.

Because sometimes humor is survival.

Sometimes laughter is resilience.

And maybe that’s the real lesson here:

Life is hard.

But hard doesn’t mean bad.

Hard is what gives life meaning.

Hard is what builds confidence.

Hard is what makes you look back one day and say:

“I can’t believe I made it through that.”

And honestly?

That feeling is worth everything.

• What “hard” are you choosing right now?

• What challenge are you facing right now that’s quietly shaping who you’re becoming?

• What dream, goal, or calling is worth the hard that comes with it?

Let me know in the comments!