Hard Now > Hard Later
Assuming you're not a trust fund baby gifted with incredible genes, things are going to get hard at some point in life.
You might struggle to pay the bills.
Or you're dealing with some health issues brought on by a series of compounding unhealthy life choices.
Or a relationship with your partner, parents, or good friend is on the rocks.
I am not saying this is always the case. But these problems often occur because we avoided making uncomfortable decisions in the past.
When it comes to finances, health, and relationships (and I am sure many other things), things are going to get hard at some point.
And in life, you have a choice to make.
Do you want it to be kind of hard now?
Or do you want things to be significantly harder later?
Because problems left unsolved tend to compound and get worse over time. Also, you might have to deal with secondary and tertiary consequences arising from unresolved issues.
So, whenever you can, choosing hard now will provide you with a much easier path in the future.
Start your side hustle in your twenties. Or your thirties. You'll have more time to make it work, and I can almost guarantee you that you're not going to have more time or energy when you're my age.
Spend less now. Drive a shittier car. Or ride your bike. Rent a room, not an apartment. Save that money. Invest it. And let it grow and compound over years and decades.
Work out and live healthy now. Walk when you can. Cook rather than eat out. Greens over sugar. Don't overdo it when it comes to drugs and alcohol.
Last but not least, resolve minor issues in your relationships before they become big problems. Have an uncomfortable conversation today.
You can make hard decisions now. Or you can make (sometimes) impossibly hard decisions later.
Hard now > Hard later.