There’s a common saying, often attributed to Winston Churchill,* that goes like this:
“If you’re going through Hell, keep going.”
Let’s unpack that piece of wisdom because there’s more to it than you might think.
There are many different types of metaphorical Hell. For some people, it could mean a tedious project at work. For others, “Hell” could be a long bike race. For students, it often means doing their homework, studying for a test, or writing an essay. In these cases, “going through Hell” refers to being in the middle of doing something that you strongly dislike.
There are also many different ways to stop – to not keep going: procrastination, complaining, making excuses, blaming, and otherwise avoiding taking responsibility for getting yourself through the unpleasant situation you’re in. These all have the same unfortunate result: They keep you in Hell; they perpetuate your suffering. To not keep going is a tempting choice, of course, but it doesn’t do you any good, and this quote makes it plainly obvious why. I mean, if you’re going through Hell, why would you stop? Keep going! Get out of there!
Another version of Hell is depression. For that type of suffering, this quote suggests two things: 1) If you’re depressed, you can get through it – it will eventually get better; and 2) The way to get over depression is to get going, to do something. Research from the field of positive psychology concurs, advising that depressed individuals take positive action, such as exercising, finding a hobby, working on a project, or gratitude journaling.1 Now, depression is complicated, and there is no one-size-fits-all solution, but these things do help most people most of the time.
When going through any type of Hell, it’s important to use momentum to your advantage. It’s easier to keep going when you’re already moving than it is to start again after you’ve stopped. And if you are currently stopped, remember that it will get easier after you do the hard work of overcoming your present inertia. And the longer you wait to get started, the more you’ll suffer, so don’t start tomorrow, start today.
As you proceed to march through the unpleasantness of your current situation, keep your eyes on the process of doing the work, not on the prospect of doing the work. Take this step, and then the next one, and then the next one. Do not think of the 50,000 steps the journey requires. Do not stop walking and contemplate all the pain to come.
So, if you’re going through Hell, keep going. Don’t stop and look around. Don’t complain.
Stop paying the thinking cost of contemplating your situation or dreading the work you must do. Get it over with.
I promise you won’t regret it.
*I’m not actually a fan of Churchill, who was a racist and is responsible for a needless famine that killed millions in India. Learn all about it in this episode of Malcolm Gladwell’s Revisionist History.
1 Lyubomirsky, Sonja. The How of Happiness: A New Approach to Getting the Life You Want
. Penguin Press, 2007.