Keep Doing Hard Things
August 18, 2026
“Why a little discomfort is good for us.”
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One of the rewards of success is that life can become easier. After decades of building a business, raising a family and accumulating financial security, we can afford conveniences that weren’t available when we were younger. We can delegate problems, avoid things we don’t enjoy and gain greater control
over our time.
We’ve earned some of that comfort. The challenge is not allowing comfort to become complacency.
Most longevity conversations focus on exercise, nutrition, sleep and medical advances. All matter. But there may be another dimension to aging well: continuing to voluntarily do things that are difficult.
That might mean lifting weights when you’d rather stay home, playing a competitive sport, tackling a technology you don’t understand, starting a project where failure is possible or learning an entirely new skill. According to the World Health Organization, regular physical activity provides substantial health benefits, including reduced risks of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, while also benefiting mental health, cognitive health and sleep. The body clearly benefits from being challenged.
There may be a broader lesson in that.
When we were younger, difficulty wasn’t optional. We were building careers, paying mortgages, raising families and trying to prove ourselves. Success eventually allows us to remove many of those pressures. That’s a wonderful achievement—but perhaps we shouldn’t remove all of them.
There is an important difference between chronic stress and deliberate challenge. We don’t need to recreate the anxiety of our younger years. But continuing to choose things that test us physically, intellectually or personally may help preserve some of the hunger and curiosity that got us here.
At this stage of life, we don’t need every challenge we once had. But a life without challenge may not be the goal either.
The Takeaway: Financial success gives us the freedom to make life easier. That doesn’t mean we should make it too easy.
