I was recently fortunate enough to visit the Netherlands and I found myself truly awestruck at the quality of life that people there live.

From the outside, it seems like they have no problems; of course, this is naive, and every country has problems.

But looking at basic needs being met, and reliable social services, and great work-life balance, I couldn’t help but think about how comfortable people there seem.

On the one hand, I have a lot of admiration for this. On the other, I worry about getting too comfortable.

The most meaningful things I’ve worked on have come with suffering. The things I get great joy from - hiking, climbing, surfing - all involve a level of suffering that make them rewarding for me.

I might be masochistic, but I truly believe that suffering heightens your experiences, in a positive way. Don’t quote me out of context - I’m of course not advocating for unecessary suffering. I wouldn’t want to inflict pain on people just so they know what it is to suffer!

But there is a ton of necessary suffering we face; the first noble truth after all: all life is suffering. And throughout all this necessary suffering, there is great opportunity to grow and learn. But more than this, I think it makes your life meaningful and worthwhile.

Suffering to me means that you believe in something enough to work through pain for it. It means you’re willing to accept tough times, even knowing that you could be pursuing an easier route. It means doing the hard thing.

Living a life where your main goal is to never be uncomfortable is unrealistic. But it also means you will never do anything meaningful, or work on something truly difficuilt.