I used to laugh at out-of-shape people jogging.
Seeing them covered in sweat. Moving barely faster than a walk. It made me chuckle.
I was awful back then.
Then my girlfriend moved to the top of a 15 story high hill. Walking seemed the faster option. I immediately gained an appreciation for the effort just walking up that hill took. That stuff was hard.
On several occasions, I wanted to quit.
The next time I saw someone shuffling up that hill, red in the face from exertion, I didn’t laugh. I had tasted the difficulty of what they were doing. Now here was a stranger going after it with intensity and focus.
I shouted encouragement.
“You got this!”
Why? Why say anything? I didn’t know them and they didn’t know me. It was an honest appreciation of one simple fact.
They could be doing anything else right now, but they chose this work.
“Well done is better than well said.” – Benjamin Franklin
What they were doing wasn’t easy. Netflix is easy. Woulda, coulda, shoulda-ing all over yourself is easy. Maybe tomorrow, is easy.
This work was hard.
When you see someone grinding through the work, inching through the very hard work. You do two things.
Respect their effort and get out of their way.