During my proudest moment last year, I almost vomited. I’d just climbed Mt. Rainier, had my first taste of elevation, and was completely wiped out. Though my body was a complete wreck, I was elated for my first true summit.
Most of our life we focus on making things easy, but the items we’re proud of aren’t. Graduating college or med school, running our first marathon, and even raising kids aren’t just difficult, but we’re never completely prepared for them.
Each of these milestones are harder than we imagine ahead of time and there’s almost inevitably setbacks along the way. Yet this isn’t a reason to give up. We first need to make sure we’re focused on the right goals, but after that we should prepare to struggle. Because as Dr.Kelso says in a memorable Scrubs scene “nothing in this world worth having comes easy.” The challenge gives our achievements more meaning than anything else.
Going one step further, pushing through pain isn’t necessary just for our immediate goal. Every time we tackle a challenge, we gain experience and resilience. Like a Pokemon leveling up after a boss battle, we need a moment to recover, but we come out stronger and more ready for the world than ever before. Now when we face new obstacles, we have the thick skin and self-confidence to get through what previously seemed impossible.
To quote Eliud Kipchoge (the first runner to break the two hour marathon) “no human is limited,” Only when we push ourselves can we overcome what are really just mental limits.