That's the point!

As a weightlifting coach, my favourite complaint from competitive athletes at the gym is "ugh, this is so heavy!".

Yeah. That's the point!

I'm sure my athletes loved me saying that.

Now, I don't mean to be dismissive. Also, I just spent x-hundred words talking about how important it is to do the boring things and to not focus on shiny outcomes (ie. the heavy weights).

If an athlete ever felt that a weight was too heavy for them, I would take it seriously. Where are we in the training plan? What are we trying to achieve? Is this a good weight for them to be lifting today?

For a competition athlete, if we were nearing a peak, then yes, this is a heavy weight. We want to be lifting heavy weights. We want to be pushing our limits. We want to be testing our strength and our technique that was built over the last few months. And not only do you want to lift this heavy weight, I know that you want to lift heavier weights.

This is where a mindset shift is needed, and as a coach, it's my job to help them get there. Remind them that this is their sport of choice. That this is part of what they love: overcoming obstacles and achieving that which was previously unachievable. One approach I particularly like using is that they don't need to do this sport - they get to and are choosing to do this sport. This bar is heavy? That's the [expletive] point! Get excited about it!

I thought about this experience when I was working with a team of engineers. We were working on a project that was particularly challenging, and some people were feeling overwhelmed by the complexity of the task at hand. They were acting frustrated and demotivated: "ugh, this is so hard!".

Yeah. That's the point!

I understand that folks in the field have different backgrounds and motivations for doing the work they do. Some people are in it for the money, some for the prestige, and some for the love of the craft.

I can only speak for myself, but part of what I love about engineering is the challenge. I love the feeling of taking on a difficult problem and finding a solution. I love the satisfaction of building something that works, even if it takes a lot of effort to get there. I like being useful, and more often than not, the value is on the other side of something difficult rather than something easy.

I have noticed two things:

1. Complaining is part of the sport/job. It's a way to vent frustration and to bond with others. It's a way to share the burden of the challenge. It's a way to remind ourselves that we're not alone in this.

2. Complaining does have an effect on the team. It can create a negative atmosphere and make it harder for others to stay motivated. It can also lead to a culture of blame and finger-pointing, which is not helpful in the long run.

So, whether I'm an IC or a manager, I try to remind myself and my team that the challenge is part of the fun. That it's okay to complain, but we also need to focus on the positive aspects of the work we're doing. How we respond to challenge is within our control.

I am lucky to work in this field; I get to do this as a career.

The work we do is hard?

Yeah. That's the point.