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Episode 3602:
Ross Enamait explains that the discomfort of real growth never disappears—it simply grows alongside your ability to push yourself. By accepting that hard work is meant to be hard, you can stop chasing the illusion that success should feel easy and instead focus on the satisfaction that comes from continual improvement.
Read along with the original article(s) here: http://rosstraining.com/blog/2016/09/it-never-gets-easier/
Quotes to ponder:
“When you give everything you have, it doesn’t matter what you started with. You still have nothing left when you’re finished.”
“Hard work will always be hard. Don’t be turned off by this simple truth. Instead, you should learn to embrace it.”
“Training to become the best isn’t supposed to be easy or enjoyable. The joy comes after the fact.”
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[00:00:56] Welcome back to our Sunday bonus episode, where I share an article with you from a different podcast in our network to keep your life nice and optimized. Today's episode is coming from our health and fitness podcast, Optimal Health Daily. You can find that show wherever you're listening to this. And please do follow or subscribe to the show to get new episodes every day. And with that, here's Dr. Neal with the post and commentary as we optimize your life.
[00:01:22] It never gets easier. By Ross Enamait of RossTraining.com Earlier this month, I wrote an article about the suck that is felt when pushing yourself through a challenging workout. There is no other way to describe the feeling that's experienced when pushing yourself beyond your comfort zone. To put it bluntly, it sucks. There is no joy. Just an ample dose of physical and mental anguish.
[00:01:51] Following my recent article about the suck, one reader left a comment that warrants more attention. It's packed full of truth and is certainly worthy of a follow-up discussion. First, I will read the comment and then I'll share my own thoughts. Quote, It's not all transcendental feelings of joy, epiphanies and self-satisfaction. The pain needs to be acknowledged without self-censorship. It is there. And when you reach a high level of fitness, it doesn't go away.
[00:02:19] In fact, it sometimes gets worse because you can endure it for a longer period of time. End quote. Accept reality. Speaking as a coach, I've never been one to mince words. I don't sugarcoat anything in the gym. If I'm training you, you'll know exactly how I feel. You're going to get the truth whether you want it or not. And one of the first truths I tell my athletes is that no matter how bad it is on day one, it never gets any easier. It will always be tough.
[00:02:50] Whatever sucks today will probably suck tomorrow, next month, next year and forever. Training to become the best isn't supposed to be easy or enjoyable. The joy comes after the fact. You are welcome to take pride in your work and celebrate your success. But never be fooled to believe that the process itself is supposed to be fun. Hard work is supposed to be hard. That's it. If it was easy, everyone would do it. A recent example.
[00:03:20] Earlier this week, I took an Olympic athlete out for a steep mountainous run. I don't think either one of us enjoyed a single step of the session. It's one of those workouts that is difficult from start to finish. Or, as we would say, it just plain sucks. There's no other way to describe it. Ironically, I took another Olympic athlete out to run the exact same course over 15 years ago. It sucked that day just as much as it sucked yesterday. Nothing has changed in that regard.
[00:03:50] It was difficult then, it's difficult now, and it will continue to be for as long as we run it. It doesn't matter when I run the mountain. It will always be tough. And it's not just difficult because it's steep. More importantly, it's difficult because I'm always going to push myself to do the best that I can. Therefore, even though I might run faster today than I did 15 years ago, I'm still pushing myself to the best of my ability. That doesn't change whether I've become a better runner or not.
[00:04:20] As long as I do the best that I can, I will always be challenged. When you give everything you have, it doesn't matter what you started with. You still have nothing left when you're finished. That holds true whether you're a beginner or a seasoned professional. It never feels easy to give everything you've got. Hard work is hard. I'm not suggesting that we don't have fun in the gym. As hard as we work, there are certainly times when we joke around and have fun.
[00:04:48] I hope that this doesn't suggest otherwise. The real point that I'd like to convey is that hard work will always be hard. It's not supposed to be easy. And while that might sound like common sense, I'm always amazed at how many athletes have been fooled to believe otherwise. They actually believe the work is supposed to get easier. Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way. Final thoughts.
[00:05:12] In summary, the goal isn't for the work to become easier, but rather for you to become better. That only happens when you continue to work. Just because what was hard last year is easier today doesn't mean that the work has gotten easier. It simply highlights the fact that you've improved, thus need to work harder. The sooner you recognize this simple fact, the sooner you'll stop chasing a fantasy. Hard work will always be hard. Don't be turned off by this simple truth.
[00:05:41] Instead, you should learn to embrace it. Know that by continuing to push yourself, you'll continue to push yourself beyond mediocrity. That's all I need to know to keep enduring the suck. Quote, You have come into a hard world. I know of only one easy place in it. And that is the grave. Henry Ward Beecher You just listened to the post titled,
[00:06:08] It Never Gets Easier by Ross Enemite of RossTraining.com My philosophy with money? It's a tool for freedom, not a source of anxiety. Wealthfront helps you tune out the noise and earn more on every dollar with a high yield cash account and sophisticated, easy to use investing products. The Wealthfront Cash Account offers an industry leading APY, no monthly fees, and easy transfers to Wealthfront's expert built investing products.
[00:06:34] Right now, you can earn up to 4.3% variable APY on your uninvested cash in the Wealthfront Cash Account. You start with a 3.3% base APY from program banks. New cash account clients can get an OFD exclusive 0.75% APY boost for your first three months on up to $150,000 balance. Then you can add another 0.25% APY increase above the base APY.
[00:07:01] No expiration date or balance limit, just by enabling direct deposit of $1,000 a month, plus open, fund, and maintain an investing account. Join the million-plus people trusting Wealthfront. Visit Wealthfront.com slash OFD. Terms and conditions apply. This is a paid endorsement of Wealthfront. Client experiences will vary. Wealthfront brokerage is not a bank. The base APY is as of January 30th, 2026, and subject to change. For more information, please see the episode description.
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[00:07:59] What Ross said in his article is why I believe so many struggle with taking that first step towards achieving their fitness goals. Many feel like every step of every workout is awful. They don't feel good doing it. So they ask themselves, why waste the time and energy doing something that I hate in the first place? Well, because as Ross said, the good comes after.
[00:08:25] The problem is, as human beings, we aren't always skilled at thinking about our future selves. We are so often consumed by what's happening to us today and tomorrow, we forget that our future self is waiting and hoping that we'll invest the time and energy to ensure that our future self will exist someday. Hmm, I hope that made sense. What I'm trying to say is, we need to put in the time and effort now,
[00:08:51] even though it may suck, to increase our chances of having a better tomorrow. In fact, I'll leave you with this thought. It's one of my favorite quotes. Do something today for which your future self will thank you. Speaking of thank you, thank you so much for being here. Thank you for listening every day. I hope you're having a great week, and I'll see you back here tomorrow, where your optimal life awaits. Let's see. Let's see. It's a good question. It is being a poor person. I hope to explain what you're getting in.