Why do we hate or love work?

New Canaan, CT

Sometimes, my day involves tedious tasks.

- I don't love it.

- But when I finish, I feel good.

I've realized that part of the process is turning it into a game

—how can I solve this puzzle best?

But more importantly, it has led me to a deeper understanding: we discover who we are through doing the work.

Work is a struggle, much like working out.

This past Sunday, I tackled a grueling 6-mile run in New Canaan.

It was 80 degrees, humid, and full of hills up Frogtown and Jelliff Mill.

As I ran, listening to a podcast about how games are challenging yet have a defined outcome, I realized why I love the struggle. I knew I would finish.

That confidence made the reward—jumping into my dad's pool and enjoying a beautiful lunch at Rowayton Seafood with Rich, Alexandra, and Katherine—so much sweeter.

Even now, as I write this, my flight out of HPN has been delayed by six hours. I love my sleep and usually go to bed at 10 PM, but here I am, boarding at 11:30 PM.

Am I miserable? Not really.

Because I'm finding myself through the process of writing this reflection.

We often think we need to be a certain type of person or have a specific identity to achieve our goals.

I recently read a story about Greta Gerwig that perfectly captures this. Growing up, she was a self-described "rule follower" and a "dabbler" in many hobbies. She doubted she had the obsessive, rebellious personality supposedly required to be a great movie director.

She held off for 17 years because of that self-doubt.

When she finally took the leap—directing massive hits like Lady Bird, Little Women, and Barbie—she realized she had it completely backwards.

She said, "I realized that it's doing the work of making movies that gives you that personality."

You don't need to have it all figured out, and you don't need the "perfect" personality to start. The struggle, the mundane tasks, the grueling runs, and the delayed flights—they are all part of the process.

We don't do the work because of who we are.

We become who we are by doing the work.

What work is shaping you today?

Tiffany Kent

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