如果你想要轻松的人生先做困难的事Do Hard Things if You Want an Easy Life
Do Hard Things if You Want an Easy Life
The human brain likes to avoid hard things. From the beginning of the evolution of Homo sapiens, our brains have been trained to take the path of least resistance. Why?
人脑喜欢逃避困难。从智人进化之初，我们的大脑就被训练去走最省力的路。为什么？
Because it was necessary for survival. When our ancestors lived in the wild, conserving energy was crucial. They had to hunt, search for food, fight rivals, and escape predators.
这是为了生存所必须的。当我们的祖先生活在野外时，节省能量至关重要。他们必须狩猎、寻找食物、与对手争斗、逃避捕食者。
Today, the world is much safer. But the human brain hasn’t changed much since those hunter-gatherer days. It’s still stuck in the Stone Age. That’s why, if you don’t resist, the brain chooses the easiest paths to solve problems.
如今，世界安全多了。但人脑并未因此改变，仍停留在石器时代。这就是为什么如果你不抵抗，大脑会选择最简单的路径来解决问题。
So, you can blame evolution if you find it hard to get off the couch and go to the gym. Or if you procrastinate on difficult projects. Or if you do things like sleeping in, eating junk, scrolling Instagram, making impulse purchases, or binge-watching Breaking Bad.
所以，如果你发现自己难以离开沙发去健身，或拖延难做的任务，或沉迷睡懒觉、吃垃圾食品、刷Instagram、冲动购物、狂刷剧集，这都可以归咎于进化。
The problem is these easy things make life harder. They feel good at first, but over time, they lead to boredom, frustration, and regret.
问题是，这些简单的行为反而让生活更难。它们刚开始让人感觉好，但长远看却带来无聊、挫败和后悔。
That’s why, if you want to win at life, you need to override your brain’s default setting and do uncomfortable things in the short term.
这就是为什么，如果你想在人生中获胜，就必须覆盖大脑的默认设置，在短期内做不舒服的事。
In fact, doing hard things is one of the most powerful skills you can build. It can make your life exciting, meaningful, and free. Let’s see how.
实际上，做困难的事是你能培养的最强技能之一。它能让生活变得精彩、有意义、自由。我们来看看原因。
You Build Willpower
你锻炼意志力
I’ve been waking up at 4 AM almost daily for the last two years. Some days, I feel a strong urge to go back to bed. But I get up anyway.
过去两年，我几乎每天凌晨四点起床。有时我很想再睡回笼觉，但我依然起床。
So, the first thing I do every day is something that feels uncomfortable. But it makes me super disciplined and productive for the rest of the day.
所以，我每天第一件事都是做不舒服的事。但它让我整天都很有纪律且高效。
It’s like doing something difficult in the morning builds a positive momentum. It increases my willpower and calms my mind. This makes it easier to stick to my routine, avoid distractions, and get more done.
早上做难事像是在积攒正向势能，增强意志力，平静内心。这让我更容易坚持日常，避免分心，完成更多事情。
Now, here’s the cool part: it’s backed by science.
接下来重点来了：这有科学依据。
There is this brain region called the anterior midcingulate cortex (aMCC). The special thing about aMCC is that it gets bigger in size when we do things that we don’t like – resisting cravings, having hard conversations, or learning a new skill.
有个脑区叫做前中扣带皮层(aMCC)。aMCC的特别之处是，当我们做不喜欢的事——抵抗欲望、进行艰难对话、学习新技能时，它会变大。
Studies have found that aMCC is smaller in obese people, larger in athletes, and grows when we do challenging stuff. And when we avoid those challenging stuff, aMCC shrinks.
研究发现，肥胖者的aMCC较小，运动员的较大，当我们做挑战性事时它会增长；而避免挑战时，aMCC会萎缩。
aMCC is seen to generate willpower and resilience. So, when you do more hard things, it boosts your aMCC, which further increases your ability to stay disciplined and achieve your daily goals. Amazing, right?
aMCC被认为产生意志力和韧性。所以，做更多难事会增强aMCC，从而提高你保持纪律和达成目标的能力。很神奇吧？
“Your aMCC/willpower can grow throughout the lifespan by regularly doing undesired things, that is hard.”
“通过持续做不愿意做的艰难事情，你的大脑aMCC/意志力会终生增长。”
- Dr. Andrew Huberman, neuroscientist and professor at Stanford School of Medicine ——安德鲁·休伯曼博士，斯坦福医学院神经科学家
You Grow Like Never Before
你会以前所未有的方式成长
It was 2022, the final year of my college. Our campus placement cell was flooded with tempting job offers. Almost all my batch mates went for them, but something inside me said: this isn’t for you.
2022年，我大学最后一年，校园招聘岗位多得让人眼花。几乎所有同学都去了，但我内心告诉自己：这不是我想要的。
So, I decided to start my one-person content marketing business. It seemed more interesting.
我决定开始自己的个人内容营销业务，这对我更有吸引力。
But once I got into it, I questioned my decision. The first two years were so tough it felt like I was trying to walk in the ocean.
一旦开始，我就质疑自己的选择。头两年太难，感觉像是在大海里走路。
I felt incapable and worthless. There were days I just sat and cried over my miserable life. To make it even worse, my constant overthinking and stress burnt me out in 2023.
我感到无能和毫无价值，有几天我坐着痛哭。过度思考和压力让我在2023年精疲力竭。
And slowly, things started to change. As it always does.
慢慢地，情况开始改变，这总是如此。
Now, I’m so glad I chose this path. I’ve learned real-world skills like writing, marketing, and persuasion. And most importantly, I found my purpose.
现在，我很庆幸选了这条路。我学会了写作、营销、说服等实用技能。更重要的是，我找到了人生目标。
Growth is painful. It comes from doing hard things, going into the unknown, and facing situations you don’t know how to handle. Often, it means doing the exact opposite of what everyone around you is doing.
成长是痛苦的。它源自做难事、进入未知、面对无法掌控的情况。通常，这意味着与周围人做法完全相反。
“If there are two paths that are equally difficult, choose the one that is more painful in the short term.” — Naval Ravikant, entrepreneur and investor
“如果两条路同样难，选择短期更痛苦的那条。”——纳瓦尔·拉维坎特，企业家兼投资者
You Rise Above Who You Were
你超越过去的自己
As we saw earlier, the human brain loves comfort. So, it keeps feeding us lies like: You can’t do this. You’ll fail. You’ll lose money. People will laugh at you.
如前所述，人脑爱舒适，它不断欺骗我们说：你做不到。你会失败。你会赔钱。别人会嘲笑你。
Once you push past these fears and do it anyway, you realize what’s possible.
当你突破恐惧去做时，你会发现可能性。
Most of the things that seem impossible are actually not. It’s just our brain’s way of keeping us safe and comfortable.
很多看似不可能的事，其实不难。这只是大脑保护我们安全和舒适的方式。
“You are in danger of living a life so comfortable and soft, that you will die without ever realizing your true potential.”
“你正面临过于舒适安逸的危险，可能死去时都没发现真正的潜力。”
——David Goggins, retired US Navy SEAL and ultramarathon runner
——大卫·戈金斯，美国海豹突击队退役军人、超级马拉松跑者
You Become Fearless
你变得无所畏惧
When I was planning my first solo trip, I was really scared. I was 21, still in college. I was planning to go to Darjeeling, a beautiful hill station in India.
我计划第一次独自旅行时很害怕。我21岁，还是大学生，要去印度美丽的山城达尔吉林。
I had no idea where I’d stay or what I’d eat. I didn’t know anyone there. And I had never been to a hill station before. It was as uncertain as stepping into a dark cave in the jungle.
我不知道住哪里，吃什么，不认识那儿的人，也从没去过山城，完全不确定，就像走进森林里的黑暗洞穴。
But deep down, I knew this trip would be worth it. So, I ignored my thoughts, packed my bag, and just went.
但这些可怕想法涌上心头时，我知道这趟旅程值得。我忽略它们，收拾行李，出发了。
Guess what? It turned out amazing. I loved the stunning mountain views, peaceful Buddhist culture, and delicious local food (Tibetan momos?). I even met another solo traveler, and we became friends.
结果超棒。我喜欢壮丽的山景、宁静的佛教文化、美味的当地食物（藏式饺子？）。我还遇到另一位独行者，成了朋友。
Once you get used to doing hard things, everything else becomes easier.
习惯做难事后，一切变简单。
You know you aren’t made of glass, you’ve got what it takes, and you can figure things out. This gives you an unusual level of confidence. And then, you don’t fear anything.
你知道自己不是玻璃做的，你有能力，也能解决问题。这给你一种不寻常的自信，然后你什么都不怕。
“The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.”
“你害怕进入的洞穴藏着你寻找的宝藏。”
——Joseph Campbell, author
——约瑟夫·坎贝尔，作家
You Feel Happier
你会更快乐
I’ve tried several things to be happier, like binge-watching TV shows, eating fast food, partying all night, consuming short videos, and avoiding work. But none of them made me truly happy. They just gave me short-term pleasure at the cost of long-term pain.
我试过很多方法想快乐，比如刷剧、吃快餐、通宵玩乐、刷短视频、逃避工作。但它们没让我真正快乐，只是短暂愉悦，代价是长期痛苦。
Now, take something like running at 5 am. It may be hard to leave your bed. It may not feel good when you’re on the road. But once you’ve done it, you feel a sense of accomplishment. There is this deep satisfaction and joy.
现在，试试早上5点跑步。起床难，路上难受。但完成后你会有成就感，深深的满足和喜悦。
