Yes. It's hard.

Worthwhile things are hard.

Things that are easy are rarely worthwhile.

The things you want are most likely scarce and universally desired.

You have to pay to attain the things you want. The amount you must pay is relative to how badly other people want them. The market sets the price.

Your payment will probably come in the form of hard work, risk, opportunity cost, sacrificing other things you value like time, relationships, social status, short-term pleasure, etc.

You'll have to pay more than everyone else who wants the same things as you in order to acquire the things you want.

Hard is good

Hard things are hard for a reason. If they were not hard they would not be worthwhile or valuable.

When confronted with something hard, the natural human inclination is to seek the path of least resistance. Avoidance. Shortcuts.

This is often a counterproductive reaction to have.

Habitual avoidance of hard things is a good way to guarantee that you never attain the things you want.

The inverse habit, leaning into hard things when faced with them, is a good way to significantly increase your odds of attaining them.

Brute-force works.

Working 'smart' helps, of course - you want to find leverage and maximize the output of your efforts.

But just sitting around and being 'smart' - strategizing, planning, discussing, thinking, etc. is a great way to repel success.

Dumb, driven people will bash their way through the same obstacles and run circles around you while you sit there and brainstorm.

Yes. It's hard.

I tell myself this whenever I start feeling the pain in pursuit of something difficult.

Yes, it's hard. That's the whole point. Keep going.