Suffering breeds heroic strength. Society gives us this idea that it’s bad to suffer. Take the easy path. Take the path of least resistance, whether it’s installing your morning routine, whether it’s in the way you run your relationships, whether it’s in the way you deliver your craft. Everything easy, always about pleasure, quick fixes, never rigor. Don’t play the long game. Don’t invest the sweat equity required to play in the rare era of history makers. And what I want to remind you is, to get to world-class is, whether it’s an athlete or an entrepreneur, or a mother, a father, a homemaker, a humanitarian, a citizen of whatever nation you’re from, it takes grit and the great ones suffer. I’m reading a book right now, and it’s the Prison Letters of Nelson Mandela. Nelson Mandela’s a great hero of mine. And one thing I learned is what made Nelson Mandela was his Robin Island experience. And it was through the difficulty and the suffering and the humiliation and the degradation that actually made him the global hero and icon that he is. And I really want you to think about that. We grow not at our times in the sunshine or at the top of the mountain. We grow in the dark valleys of confusion. You will face adversity. Adversity is where heroes come out to play. So be relentless. Do not give up. And remember, putting yourself in uncomfortable situations allows you to develop a peacefulness, standing in uncomfortable situations.
