The other day I was trying to encourage my 8-year-old with learning Japanese (he picked it). He was feeling frustrated and told me it was really hard. So I looked at him and said, “Anything worth doing is hard.”
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As I was imparting these deep words of wisdom to my 8-year-old, I had the realization that I needed to hear this too. It is hard starting something new. And, yes, as a momtrepreneur starting a new endeavor is hard, and we need to constantly tell ourselves that anything worth doing is hard.
This led to my next question, but how do you know if it is worth it? How do you know that spending your time, energy, and effort is really worth it. I know all the gurus always tell us to never give up, but let’s be real there are times to quit and not many people talk about those times. There are reasons to let something go. I know Seth Godin wrote The Dip: A Little Book that Teaches You When to Quit (I’ve never read this one). Also, Dr. Henry Cloud wrote Necessary Endings (I have read this one and recommend it).
If Anything Worth Doing is Hard, How do You Know it is Worth it
If we are going to determine if a hard thing is worth it, then we need a scale or a measurement of some kind. Here are the 3 determinates that I came up with.
1. Money
Is it going to help pay the bills. Money isn’t everything, but if you are putting your time and energy into something and losing all your money. Then you may need to assess if it is time to quit.
2. Personal fulfillment
You may do something and decided that the hard thing is worth it because it is personally fulling. It may not pay the bills because passion doesn’t always pay the bills. But you may be ok with that because it is something that you’ve always wanted to do.
Homeschooling your kids falls into this category. It will not make you any money, but knowing that you are giving your kids the best education and meeting their emotional and spiritual needs is personally fulfilling.
3. Gives the most for your effort
This was my husband’s contribution. Yes, I did ask for his input on this one. He gave the analogy of needing more space in your house. Do you add on or do you finish the basement? You decide what will give you the most for the least amount of effort. This is a very practical determinate if anything worth doing is hard. You would go with the basement because that will give you the greatest return on the least amount of effort.
Conclusion: Anything Worth Doing is Hard
Do you think that anything worth doing is hard? How do you make the determination that doing the hard thing is worth it? I would love to hear your thoughts! Leave a comment below.
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