Each March, elite ultra-marathoners gather at Frozen Head State park for one of the world’s
toughest races. This race requires runners to complete five, twenty-mile laps around the park
within 60 hours. Runners must navigate through the woods, ascend hilly terrain,
run through the night, and cross several streams. Since the commencement of this event in 1988, only
15 runners have completed the race. The finishers receive no prize money and little press coverage.
Moreover, it takes the body an immense amount of time to recover from a race like this.
Which begs the question, “Why would anyone ever subject themselves to that kind of pain?”
The answer: they have learned that there is great joy in completing a difficult task.
I myself have experienced this feeling of great joy. I coach cross country. Like many sports,
practice starts well before the first race. Though the first race is usually in late August,
we begin training in May and run all summer through hot, humid days.
From May to November, I work on moving the team forward. It is stressful,
tiring, and some days I don’t feel like running practice, but I do. Why? When your team runs well
and you win a big meet, the joy is hard to explain. It is beyond rewarding for your
hard work and dedication to manifest itself in the improvement and victory of your runners.
My father recently died at 88 years old. He was full of joy and energy his entire life.
At 88 years old, he was still running an insurance agency and loved every second of
it. In fact, he was working on starting a podcast to help his business grow.
His life was not always easy. The love of his life died young, his business ebbed and flowed,
and technology kept changing. Nevertheless, he kept the agency growing for over fifty years
because he loved the challenge. It forced him to learn new skills and problem solve,
and it brought fulfillment and purpose to his life.
The movie Stand and Deliver portrays the life of Jaime Escalante.
Mr. Escalante was a math teacher at James A. Garfield high school in Los Angeles.
He saw untapped potential in his students and set a goal of teaching the first AP Calculus class
at the school. Accomplishing this goal required implementing Saturday classes, convincing the
feeder schools to change the math track for students, and countless hours teaching math. Only
two students passed the AP exam his first year, but he persevered and every year he taught, this
number grew. I’m sure when his students received passing AP exam scores, it brought him great joy.
Anyone can find a rewarding, challenging task to complete. I feel an easy place to start is
physical challenges. Depending on your fitness level, set a challenging goal and then go for it.
It could be things like: today, do 10 pushups. After school, walk a mile. Walk 10,000 steps a
day. Complete 25 pull ups a day, or, for those more ambitious, become the next American Ninja.
You can work towards accomplishing a big, difficult task by breaking it up into smaller,
easier tasks. So, as one more example, perhaps you want to improve your grades. You can start
working towards this goal by setting small goals for yourself like studying for a few
extra minutes a night when you know a test is coming up, getting enough sleep (at least
8 hours) the night before a test, and turning all your homework in on time.
The scary part of a difficult task is that there is no guarantee that it will be accomplished.
There is a chance of failure. However, both failing at and achieving a difficult task
can produce good outcomes. In both situations, you learn. It took Thomas Edison numerous attempts to
build a working light bulb. After this experience, he quipped this famous quote: “I have not failed,
I have just discovered 99 ways not to make a light bulb.” The important takeaway from this story is
that you may not succeed the first time you try, but please, try and try again. Accomplishing a
difficult task is not necessarily about succeeding the first time. Rather, it is about learning new
skills, persevering in the face of adversity, and building confidence as you improve.
When you accomplish your difficult task, relish in the joy and sense of achievement
you are likely to feel. Also, do not forget to reflect over your experience
and the learning process. Think about how your experience will benefit you in the long-term.