Does Life Need to Be Hard?
Does life need to be hard for us to be successful? Malcolm Gladwell famously wrote that a big chunk of high-achievers in business went through childhood pain or trauma. It is usually related to the loss or absence of a parent. These people tend to “conform” less, as they have already been through a traumatic experience, and end up developing a stronger resistance to pain and rejection.
For example, Steve Jobs was an adopted child and was made aware of it from a very young age. His biography brings several passages suggesting that being abandoned was always a driving force for him. It propelled him to the constant (although sometimes exaggerated) pursuit of excellence. When you go through the feeling of rejection by parents at such a young age, being ousted from the company you founded by your board pales in comparison.
Another exciting example brought by Gladwell is Dr. Emil Freireich. The doctor worked in the leukemia ward at the National Cancer Institute in the sixties. To many of us, an average day of work consists of a few meetings and sending a few spreadsheets. Freireich watched young children bleed to death. He hypothesized that administering a combination of chemotherapy drugs might be the solution. His peers considered it absurd, but he had the “thick” skin to keep ongoing. Freireich had no animal models or dosing studies to back up his hypothesis. Still, when criticized and demonized by his peers, he scoffed and carried on. He ended up becoming a pioneer in the treatment of cancer and the use of chemotherapy.
Those examples lead us to the conclusion: suffering generates excellence. Trauma and pain are the fuel that leads so many to lead their industries. All this while ignoring the naysayers and the emotional pain that this stress brings. But what about the ones with healthy functional lives? The ones with a nurturing background and family? Do they fall behind? Are optimism and balance a sure sign of mediocrity?
There are two caveats to this. The first one is that trauma and stress might lead to resilience, discipline, and, sometimes, excellence. Still, it is not a guaranteed deal. Many people who had terrible experiences end up not having the same side-effects, generating pretty…
