The Quiet Power of Doing Hard Things Everyday

Push-up Challenge

There I was at 10:10pm on February 20th lying in bed when I suddenly realized I had only completed 75 pushups that day – Ugh. I wanted to say “whatever, I’ll do 125 tomorrow”, but my mind would not let me settle there. The promise to myself of completing 100 pushups per day for the entire month of February kept echoing in the chambers of my tired and foggy brain. It was not going to silence, so I rolled out of bed, onto the cold floor in my underwear, and hammered out 25 more pushups.

My grandfather always said that “Life was a Paradox”, and I happened to discover another one during the month of February when I committed myself to the pushup challenge for Mental Health. We happen to live in a time where by almost every measurable standard, life is easier than it was before. Food is abundant, comfort is immediate, technology has made every inconvenience that our grandparents struggled with easier. We have heat in our homes, soft beds to sleep in, music to listen to, devices in our pockets that can answer any question we can think of, or visibly connect with anyone within a few seconds. And yet, many people feel more mentally fragile than ever before. Anxiety is common, burnout is common, suicide rates are at their highest, and the feeling of being overwhelmed seems to be almost everywhere you look. The world has become easier, yet the human mind has not become stronger because of it. I believe this is because human beings were not just built for only comfort. Humans evolved in environments where survival required effort. Our ancestors had to carry heavy objects, walk long distances, fight, run, endure extreme heat, cold, exhaustion, difficulty and risk. They did this not as a motivational exercise, but because this was what daily life required of them. Our bodies and minds evolved inside that environment. Modern life has removed most of these physical challenges, but our brains still expect them. Today we have forgotten what we’re capable of doing. Today, we must recreate what our minds are forgetting. There is something philosophically powerful about voluntary doing hardship. One of my favourite philosophers once said:

In other words it’s saying that difficulty itself is often the thing that shapes us. Effort creates meaning and completing hard things builds confidence. The problem with modern day society is that it rarely requires us to prove that to ourselves anymore. We are more capable than our minds often tell us.

For me I didn’t even know I could do 100 pushups a day. I’ve never done a 100 pushups since my years in Martial Arts, but I felt I needed to try as it was for a cause I was very passionate about. Mental health has always been a sensitive subject for me as I’ve struggled with it a few times in my life. I was also currently struggling with life and its chaotic and tumultuous lessons it was trying to teach me. The pushup challenge wasn’t really about the pushups, it was reminding myself that I still had agency. When life feels uncertain, doing something difficult on purpose becomes a small act of rebellion. My struggles and a cause I was passionate about made me commit to something I knew would be challenging and difficult. After friends, family and colleagues donated money to my commitment, there was no turning back. There I was doing pushups the minute I woke up each morning.

“He who has a will to live can bear almost any how.”

-Friedrich Nietzsche

Voluntary hardship builds phycological resilience. Throughout history it has become a proven science that hardship forges character. Completing challenges sends confidence singles to your brain and as a result makes you a more confident character. From a chemical reaction, it releases a Dopamine reward system in your brain. Your brain remembers when you prove something to yourself. The endorphins you experience when doing something hard remind you of an age old instinct in you where hardship builds resilience and reminds us that we are capable of taking control, directing our own effort even when things feel chaotic.

That night on February 20th, I had completed 2000 pushups and I knew that I was going to complete 800 more until the end of the month. It was no longer hard, it was no longer inconvenient. It was just a part of my daily ritual, and as easy as taking my morning vitamins. Donations kept trickling in and I had a real sense of accomplishment and contribution to Canadas Mental Health cause. The cause raised over 4 million dollars and almost 90 million push-ups were completed across Canada that month. Below you can see some of the staggering statistics that surround Mental Illness.

Choosing difficult things is something that everyone should do. It is something I work hard to prove to my daughter and pray that she develops. It works for me and will work for anyone because it’s buried in the fabric of what makes us human. It will remind you that you are capable of much more than you think you are. It’s not about the pushups or whether its 5 miles or 40 miles. It’s about sharpening the mind, building mental resilience, calming your anxiety, rebuilding self-trust, and simply strengthening your mind to endure whatever challenges lay in front of you. The world doesn’t need more comfort. It needs people who know what they’re capable of.

Hard things will not fix everything. But I promise you that they will remind you of who you are when the worlds chaos surrounds you. Sometimes it’s not an extravagant accomplishment. Sometimes its just that extra mile, sometimes it’s just rolling out of bed and doing one more pushup.

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