☔ How Only the Hard Things will Change Your Life · The Bunker #88
We'll explore why tackling the tough challenges matters more than taking the easy route in making real impact.
Hi friend 👋🏻!
Welcome to The Bunker.
A Newsletter in which we talk about UX Design and the Freelance Journey, dedicated to those who are starting out in both worlds and who feel identified.
From The Bunker, we accompany you on the way.
Hi there!
As you know, I've been reading the book "Atomic Habits" for a while now. The truth is that I am quite hooked, and I am discovering new tips that make my life a bit more productive. I honestly recommend it.
Today we won’t be talking about anything from the book, but there is something somewhat related to all the topics discussed in the book.
I’ve been consistently going to the gym 4 times a week for a month now. I've actually been going to the gym for a long time, but not always so intensely and consistently.
But now I am, now I’m being consistent.
And honestly, I've never felt as good about myself as I do right now.
This is something I've been thinking about for a long time, and it's that this 2024:
I founded Koala UI (my biggest project I've done in my life so far)
I’m being super consistent with the gym
All of these are things that could have happened 5 years ago, but I didn't feel like making decisions that would make me work this way.
That is to say, these are things that when you consider them, you might say “ugh, too much work, ugh, too much for me, we’ll do it little by little,” and you know that these are important things for you and that they can have an impact.
But the problem is that the problem always seems much bigger than it actually is at the beginning, than it ends up being, and we get overwhelmed → And we end up not making those decisions that we know will lead us to success.
We know that doing this will go well for us → But we don’t do it because it overwhelms us.
And it’s that only the difficult things are what truly move your life.
Otherwise, everyone would do it.
The difficult things are what push us, mold us, and ultimately transform us.
1. 🔕 Embrace discomfort
Growth does not occur in comfort zones.
When you face difficult tasks, you are stepping into the unknown. This discomfort is where real progress happens.
Starting to create content, starting Koala, starting anything is always overwhelming at the beginning, but the key is to start little by little, making the process very stable and easy to maintain over time.
You have to try to be comfortable during the first weeks of going to the gym so that it becomes easier later on until you reach a point where you don’t mind going, and you even like it.
But for you to like it, you have to make the effort to embrace the discomfort of going when you don’t feel like it, especially at the beginning.
This will not only make you end up embracing this new habit, but it will help you learn to embrace and live with what you initially don’t like, and you will develop a shell and a management capacity of: “I don’t like it, but I do it because I know I have to, and I might even end up liking it.”
2. ☔ Learn to dance in the rain
Facing difficulties builds mental strength. Every challenge you overcome makes you stronger and especially capable. Every small victory is a reminder that you can do it.
Reflect on the past difficulties you have conquered → Let those victories remind you that you can handle more than you think.
Resilience is not just about enduring life’s blows, but about learning to dance in the rain.
I think this is one of my best tips: Learn to dance in the rain.
Learn to find the positive in anything bad that happens in your life, especially when you don’t have control over things.
When you don’t achieve the design you like the most but know that it’s just a matter of continuing to practice and practice.
Or not giving up when the project you put a lot of effort into doesn’t succeed on the first try.
And this is obviously difficult, but learning this will make you stronger and more resilient.
3. 🔎 Foster creativity
Problems require solutions, and the more difficult the problem, the more creative you need to be.
Especially when the situation is more critical, that’s when the exaggerated side of creativity you thought you didn’t have comes out.
Challenging situations force you to think outside the box, enhancing your creativity and problem-solving skills. The next time you encounter an obstacle, see it as an opportunity to innovate. This is coming from someone who has been a solo designer in a company for 2 years.
They offered me the opportunity to run the entire design department on my own: At first, I was a bit scared, but it was the perfect opportunity to shape my skills and take full responsibility.
Knowing that in the good everything would be good, but in the bad everything would also be my responsibility.
Creativity arises from necessity, and there is no better teacher than adversity to teach you to find new ways to approach old problems. Every challenge is an invitation to reimagine what is possible.
Quick break from our sponsor, Koala UI.
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4. 📸 Gain perspective
Difficult experiences broaden your perspective. They teach you empathy, patience, and understanding. This is what we call “learning from experience.”
When you are in the middle of a complicated situation, remember that it is shaping your worldview in ways that easy experiences never could.
Every challenge allows you to see life from a new angle, enriching your understanding and appreciation of the struggles of others. Through adversity, you develop greater compassion and a more balanced view of what truly matters.
And as they say, this is only learned through experience. But it’s true, every new challenge teaches you something new. That’s why it’s so important to see challenges as opportunities and not reject them out of fear.
5. ⚔️ Achieve mastery
Mastery comes from persistent effort and overcoming setbacks. The satisfaction of mastering a difficult skill or task is incomparable.
Especially when you overcome something that initially scared you.
Choose something difficult and commit to it. The journey will be tough, but the rewards will be worth it.
Choose what you always dreamed of, become the kind of person who could achieve that goal, and design a plan that makes the process as comfortable as possible.
But the grace and the goal is that the machinery never stops.
Mastery is about knowing the value of every small step that takes you to the top.
Facing and overcoming challenges teaches you the importance of dedication, constant practice, and patience.
True mastery is the culmination of countless moments of perseverance in the face of adversity.
🖌️ The practical part of this
So, let’s try to take something practical from here:
Embrace feedback: Feedback is really a gift, learning to change the perspective from:
They are criticizing me
They want to be better
This requires a great effort and is a high-level task.
Set ambitious goals: Don’t let procrastination or overwhelm ruin your dreams. Dream big and design a system that makes everything a bit easier.
Be honest with yourself: Maybe you spent too much time perfecting a portfolio that didn’t need perfecting, and this time could have been dedicated to the project you always dreamed of.
And with this I introduce → Jump into action as soon as possible. Nothing is such a big deal.
Be persistent: A loser is a winner who didn’t give up. Simply put.
Remember that if you want something, it costs something.
If everything were so easy, everyone would have done it already.
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If you are interested on making a living with Content Creation, I’m thrilled to announce that I’ve recently release my book: From $0 to $10.000 on client projects with only 10.000 followers on Instagram”.
🔖 The Bunker Bookmarks
🖊️ My portfolio
📕 The Ultimate Guide to Choose the Right Typeface · Workbook
🧠 Second Brain for Creatives · Free Download
📕 Typography is for everbody™ · Free Download
💖 Favorite icon pack.
🎨 Favorite Color Generator.
🤹🏻 My Equipment
✱· Most Productive Designer Mouse
✱· Office chair
✱· Sony A7IV