how to suffer, joyfully
You might have seen this viral clip of Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang where he says:
“To really, truly enjoy life, you have to suffer.”
Judging by NVIDIA's stock price lately... yeah, he's definitely suffering.
But there's truth in what he's saying. Real joy—soul-deep, blood-sweat-and-tears joy—comes not in spite of pain, but because of it.
In a previous post I wrote, why you need to suffer more—here’s how to do it joyfully.
“The greater the difficulty, the more glory in surmounting it.”
– Marcus Aurelius
The OG ‘Marcy Marc’ has got it right here. Winning an Olympic gold medal feels far more rewarding than taking first place in your company's "fun run."
As humans, we're naturally wired to avoid pain. This means mastering the art of convincing yourself to enjoy things you'd normally hate—like attending a local business networking mixer.
Here's my framework for joyful suffering. Use it liberally for endurance races, startups, or any audacious goal that makes your friends and family question your sanity.
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the joyful suffering framework (for masochists and mission-driven founders alike)
1. choose an audacious goal that makes you question your sanity
My personal example: signing up for a 35 KM trail run just 4 months after facial reconstruction surgery from being punched in the face (long story, read here) — without any prior trail running experience. Seemed like a good idea at the time.
2. obsessively envision the reward
Take delayed gratification to the extreme. I would vividly imagine crossing the finish line—legs weak, body covered in dirt, lungs burning with exhaustion. I pictured the relief flooding through me as I celebrated with friends and family at the finish.
This visualization became so powerful that I could physically feel the future triumph just by imagining it.
During the actual run, I lost toenails and ate dirt—twice. Between the bleeding and hallucinations, I nearly quit. But each step became a silent middle finger to the guy who hit me (though he'd never see it), and a powerful reminder that comeback stories hit harder with a bit of struggle.
3. use that vision when you're in the pit of despair
In the moment you want to quit—whether your legs are burning or your business is near death—is the moment you must recall your future self. Pull forward that future reward that you're so close to achieving. Turn this pain into fuel to propel you forward.
Tip: Here’s a certified psycho move for next workout: when you're deeply struggling, picture the relief you’ll experience at the end of the workout and force yourself to smile. The delusional act of smiling through pain can profoundly shift your mental state, even during the most grueling moments.
smiling like an absolute psycho during the run
my profession of pain
I get a similar high when helping entrepreneurs exit their business as an M&A advisor. In many cases, selling a business is a brutal experience. As one of my mentors puts it, "every deal dies three deaths."
Having a deal die at the eleventh hour can cause immense pain for everyone involved. But for whatever reason (which a therapist could probably explain), I love the adrenaline rush of a deal's ups and downs—especially saving it at the last minute.
To keep myself sane, I maintain a stoic mindset: during any deal, setbacks are inevitable and outside our control. Instead, we focus on what we can control—primarily our emotional state. Keeping things light, finding humor in dramatic situations, and persevering through difficult deals are all ways I've managed to "joyfully suffer" in this profession.
And you know what? The most rewarding deals I've worked on aren't the ones with the biggest commission checks—they're the ones that took the most work to get done.
the art of suffering
Remember there are 2 kinds of pain: the kind that crushes your soul (shopping at Walmart), and the kind that forges it (running a marathon). The secret? Choice. When you choose your suffering, you control the narrative.
Think of it like training for a championship fight. Every grueling workout, every strict diet choice, every early morning wake-up—they're all voluntary sacrifices. There is something powerful about proving your self-doubt wrong.
Your mission, should you choose to accept it: Pick a mountain worth climbing. Choose a challenge that scares you. Select a goal that makes your heart race just thinking about it.
And when you're deep in the trenches of that challenge (and questioning your life choices)-remember you're not just enduring pain, but letting it forge your future.
That's the art of suffering, joyfully.