I survived my Master's program in France while nearly broke. Eating sparingly and living frugally. Rather than viewing this as hardship, I felt content and focused on the ultimate outcome — securing a well-paying software engineering position at Squla upon graduation.
Discomfort as catalyst
Discomfort and adversity, rather than comfort, catalyze personal growth and push individuals beyond perceived limitations.
I advocate for deliberately creating manageable hardships as a practice: extended fasting, intensive workouts, accelerated learning, or rapid team turnarounds.
Seneca knew this
Seneca advised:
"Set aside a certain number of days...with the scantiest...fare, saying to yourself...'Is this the condition that I feared?'"
Soldiers train during peacetime to prepare for actual conflict. Similarly, individuals should toughen themselves proactively through self-imposed challenges rather than waiting for crisis to strike.
I haven't yet determined how to systematically create this practice or teach it to future children, but I recognize the necessity of doing so.