đŸȘ‘ How Doing Hard Things Changes You.

Posted on by Carina
4 minutes

Doing hard things is hard.

We all know that. And yet, most of us avoid them whenever we can—because comfort feels nice, safety feels warm, and failure is uncomfortable.

When I look back at my younger self, hard things were everywhere:

  • In my late teens, working as a waitress, I was terrified to walk up to tables and ask strangers what they wanted to eat. Social interaction wasn’t easy for me, and every order felt like a little mountain.
  • Presenting in school? A nightmare. Even if I prepared well at home, standing in front of the class to talk about a book or movie felt like stepping onto a stage in front of thousands.
  • English? Let’s say it wasn’t love at first sight. I nearly failed my A-levels. I watched the same movies over and over, paused, rewound, repeated—trying to understand what was happening and often losing the plot completely.
  • Preparing for my physiotherapy entrance exam while working full-time was another challenge. Studying after work, researching what I needed to know, testing myself—it was exhausting.

It would’ve been so easy to avoid all of that.

Not trying is always easier than trying.

But doing hard things has two powerful benefits.

1. Hard things prepare us for future challenges. đŸȘš

Voluntary struggle builds resilience for the involuntary ones life throws at us later.

Those hard moments shaped me more than I realized at the time.

Now I talk to strangers every day as a physiotherapist—comfortably. I hold presentations weekly and receive great feedback. I watch, read, and listen almost exclusively in English now—and enjoy it.

Every hard thing I pushed through became a skill, a strength, an upgrade.

2. We value what we invest effort into. đŸ€‘

Having stuff isn’t fun, getting stuff is fun.

Jimmy Carr

In 2012, Michael I. Norton, Daniel Mochon, and Dan Ariely published a study on something called The IKEA effect.

It describes how we value something more when we built it ourselves—even if it’s imperfect.

Participants assembled IKEA furniture, built LEGO sets, folded origami. The result? People were willing to pay more for the item they created than for an identical one made by someone else.

Effort increases attachment.

We see the same in the old Betty Crocker story. Their first cake mix required just water—convenient, simple
 and a sales flop. Only when they added one extra step (cracking in an egg) did people enjoy baking again. A little effort made it feel earned.

So the two lessons are simple:

  1. Hard things prepare us.
  2. We value what we work for.

And this is where it gets interesting for your health journey.

Because the IKEA effect doesn’t happen automatically. The researchers found the effect works only when:

  • You complete what you started
  • Your result persists—it matters, it’s measurable
  • You feel a sense of progress or achievement

So ask yourself:

How can I make my (health) journey something I build, not just something I wish for?

What small challenge can I take on today that future-me will thank me for?

How can I make progress visible so I feel connected to my effort?

Hard things might feel uncomfortable in the moment—but they make life easier in the long run. And often, the pride after finishing something hard is far more rewarding than the comfort of avoiding it.

đŸ§Ș Let’s Experiment

Small challenges and personal effort make achievements stick—
and make them more meaningful.

Life—and your health journey—gets a lot more rewarding when you build your progress instead of just following instructions blindly. It’s not about doing everything perfectly; it’s about adding your own effort, overcoming small struggles, and feeling progress along the way.

🎯 Try This:

Don’t just blindly follow a training or diet plan. Check all the boxes we discussed above:

  1. “Doing hard things prepares us for the challenges ahead.”
    → Make your plan a bit challenging. Don’t make it so easy that it feels effortless—growth happens when you stretch yourself.
  2. “We don’t value what’s easy. We value what we earn.”
    → Add your own signature. Swap one or two exercises or meals for something that fits you. It might slightly change the plan’s effect, but as Betty Crocker showed, even a little effort makes the result more valuable.
  3. “Try to complete your project.”
    → It doesn’t have to be perfect. You might slip up—but commit to seeing it through to the end.
  4. “Do not destroy your progress afterwards.”
    → Protect your results. Keeping your gains, even small ones, reinforces the sense of achievement and makes the effort worthwhile.
  5. “There has to be a sense of achievement or progress.”
    → Set clear milestones and track your progress. Celebrate wins along the way to stay motivated.

🧠 Final Thought:

Your (health) journey isn’t about shortcuts or perfection—it’s about building something that matters to you. Hard work, personal effort, and visible progress aren’t obstacles; they’re the magic that makes success feel real.

Keep it simple, stay curious, and keep learning—you’ve got this.

Take care,

Carina 🩊

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