The Hard Thing is the Point

There’s a temptation before any great endeavor to believe the work is about the outcome. We want the medal, the time on the clock, the recognition at the finish line. But what if the point is not the result, but the challenge itself?

A man step into an arena.

This week I’m continuing preparation for the Hotter’N Hell 100—a hundred-mile ride through Texas heat that lives up to its name. Last year I learned painful lessons: I pushed too early, under-fueled, ran out of water, and hit the wall with miles left. It took everything I had to limp across the finish line.

This year my preparation looks different. I’ve built strength and conditioning. I’ve acclimated to the heat. But with only days left, there’s no new capacity to gain. So the strategy is simple: sleep well, hydrate, and trust the work I’ve already done.

Still, doubt creeps in. Am I ready? Did I under-prepare? Could I have done more? The honest answer is always yes. But that’s not the point.

The point is to step into the fire anyway.

To pursue the hard thing not because it will be perfect, but because it will shape me. Theodore Roosevelt called it the “man in the arena”—the one who chooses to fight, sweat, and bleed instead of sitting comfortably in the stands. The Stoics taught that difficulty reveals the truth of our character. General McChrystal once said, “The only way you can truly prepare for the unknown is to practice under conditions of stress and discomfort.”

The ride isn’t about winning. It’s about practicing that truth.

It’s about learning how to suffer well.

It’s about discovering who you are when the road stretches long, the heat presses down, and comfort is nowhere to be found.

Leadership works the same way. The point is not to avoid difficulty or pretend it doesn’t exist. The point is to pursue it. To choose the hard thing because it makes you stronger, more disciplined, and more alive.

This weekend I’ll clip in, push off, and remind myself: The hard thing is the point.