Friday, September 11, 2015

The Benefit to Doing Something You Hate

I hate mowing the yard. I don't like any part of it, the time, the heat, the noise, etc.
Is there a benefit to mowing the yard?


I hate mowing the yard because I view it as a waste of time. I could be doing something fun, instead of a chore, but whenever I mow the yard I come up with ideas for stories, skits and projects. The obvious benefit is that for those next few days, my yard isn't obscenely tall compared to the yards of my retired neighbors.

It wasn't long ago that  I didn't like to speak in public. The reason? I wasn't good. It made me nervous. I didn't know what to say. Experience and exposure allowed me to overcome that fear. Now,  I don't mind it.

A few years ago I regularly played pick-up volleyball games. I didn't like it, because I wasn't very good. Because I wasn't good, I practiced, just fifteen minutes in between games. I got better, and then I didn't mind it.

Doing something you don't like is beneficial. 

Mowing the yard provides time to focus on my thoughts. It's like meditation.

The next time you're faced with a task you don't want, ask yourself why you don't like it.

What are the reasons? If it's because you aren't confidant and inexperienced, focus that aversion to become better. Look at the task as a chance to improve and bolster your skills. You can't improve if you don't try.

You can become better with practice, while teaching yourself patience and discipline. There are few better feelings than the sense of triumph when you realize public speaking is no longer terrifying.

The more I spoke publicly, the less I minded. Instead of avoiding speaking, I would volunteer. That only happens through practice.

After practicing just a couple of times between volleyball games, I generated a number of points when it was my turn to serve. Previously, serving was not successful. That was with just fifteen minutes of effort.

What is that task you try to avoid? Put just a little bit of effort into training to become better. The more you do something, the more comfortable it becomes. You may find it's not that bad, even more, you may just start to like it.

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