I have found that in order to do the things we want to do, we must also do a lot of things we don’t want to do. But knowing we will get to do the things we want to do, it makes it easier and more enjoyable to do the things we don’t.

One of the most seemingly rhetorical statements I have ever made to my son has been, “We have to do the things we don’t want to do in order to do the things we do want to do.”  When I have told him this, it was almost always at a time when he did not want to do something. 

The simple truth is, I am more like my son in this area than I really care to admit. I cannot count how many times I really did not want to do something. And in some instances, I honestly did not do whatever the “thing” was. No matter how old I get, there seems to always be moments when I feel it is not worth the effort to do certain tasks and responsibilities.

However, I can with full confidence say that it all does become well worth it when it leads to my being able to do those life fulfilling activities I really do want to do. It could be something as simple as having food to eat. Or it could be something such as enjoying a fun hobby. How does a nice vacation sound? All of those things are worth almost anything I do that I don’t want to.

Let us examine the need to work for an employer to maintain a lifestyle of some sort. Although some find jobs they truly enjoy, I personally do not know anyone who loves to work for an employer so much that they are willing to do so without some sort of compensation. Money and benefits help to provide the needs of someone and their loved ones. It is a necessity in most cultures to earn money through the work they do.

So, even if they truly love their job, the mere fact that one needs to work often means they will be asked to do things they really do not want to do. Of course, this is not a universal truth. But in my experience, no one I know wants to always be working. For most, it would seem, they see it as being a means to an end.

Whatever it is you want to do, is there something you HAVE to do to get there? Is it something you do not really want to do? I want to encourage you to focus on the positive outcomes. Everything seems to become far more bearable when you can see that in the end, you'll be happy.