Embracing the grind
Embracing the grind
Life is more satisfying when you accept strife
Do you enjoy video games? How about binge watching shows on Netflix? If I gave you the option of sitting around all day on a beach with a fancy drink served in a coconut, would you take it?
If you answered yes to any of those questions, I have a follow up question for you. Is it more satisfying to play video games/watch Netflix/drink a fancy drink out of a coconut after a hard day/week at work?
Back when I was younger I really enjoyed going out for a few drinks after a hard week at work. I enjoyed having a few drinks on other nights as well (you’ve got to be young and stupid before you can be old and wise), but the drinks that came at the end of a hard week of work just hit differently.
This got me thinking.
Rock pushin’
Have you ever heard of Sisyphus? To give you a very brief overview of who this character is, Sisyphus had the rotten luck of being part of a Greek legend about a man who annoyed the wrong god…which was every easy to do in Ancient Greece. The divine punishment he received was to push a rock up a mountain from then until the end of time. Since mountains are not infinitely tall, just before Sisyphus gets the rock to the top of the mountain the thing would roll all the way back down to the bottom meaning he would need to jog back down and start again.
Sisyphus didn’t have a choice in the matter when it came to pushing his rock. For those of us not cursed by Greek gods, there are some rocks we have to push and some rocks we choose to push. When it comes to the everyday grind of going to work and earning a living, that’s a rock we have to push. But when it comes to other things like being a good runner, being a proficient speaker in a second language, being good at a martial art, etc, those are all rocks we choose to push. And pushing rocks is hard work and can make us question if it’s all worth it.
The bright side
The French philosopher Albert Camus published an essay in 1942 called The Myth of Sisyphus. In this work he discussed some of the themes surrounding the life of Sisyphus and life in general. What’s the point of pushing a rock up a mountain all day if that’s all there is?
The essay can be beautifully summed up with the line:
"The struggle itself towards the heights is enough to fill a man's heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy."
When I put my own spin on this, I consider that Sisyphus is someone who has truly embraced the grind. Whether he likes it or not, he needs to push a rock up a mountain. The goal is the top of the mountain, so he gives it his all, almost gets to the top, and then his rock will inevitably roll back to the bottom. After the rock has fallen he gets to enjoy some respite by having a nice jog back down the mountain, enjoying the view on the way and not worrying about the rock for a while. His ‘Monday’ is whenever he retrieves his rock.
Similar but different
There are two big differences between us and Sisyphus:
For us, the top of the mountain is reachable
If our rock starts to roll back down the mountain it moves much more slowly
If your goal is to bench press 100 kg and you can currently only bench press 50 kg, getting up that mountain is going to require a lot of work but it is achievable. Once you’ve pushed your rock to the top of that mountain It might start rolling back down, but you aren’t going to go from a 100 kg bench press back down to a 50 kg bench press overnight.
I pushed my rock to a sub-20 minute 5k a while ago but it’s rolled back down to a just over 20 minute 5k over the summer. I’m looking forward to Autumn when the weather is more favorable but I’ll keep pushing regardless.
Update: Since I wrote this article in the first place I’ve run several sub-20 5Ks and my personal best time is down to 19:16 (update 26 Jan 2024)
Keep pushing!
If you try your best to push your rock up your mountain it’s a very fulfilling experience. It’s hard, but you know your effort is getting you somewhere. (It’s almost like the struggle itself towards the heights is enough to fill a man's heart).
I’m not saying you can’t take time out to play a video game, binge watch something on Netflix, or sit on a beach with a fancy drink served in a coconut. But what I will say is that if you enjoy those moments in the same way that Sisyphus enjoys his stroll down the mountain to pick up his rock, you’ll probably enjoy those moments more.
But just remember, if you don’t keep an eye on your rock collection they may not be where you left them last time you gave them a push.
Thank you very much for reading. If you enjoy my work please share it with someone you think would also enjoy it.
If you aren’t subscribed, please sign up to keep up to date.
If social media is more your thing I’m active on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
And if you are looking for ways you can support my work please check out the page below:
Osu!
Anthony