I am very learning-motivated. The idea of the growth mindset rings true to me. I love a good investigation, enjoy pursuing and facing questions. I like a good conversation, deep work and productive thinking.

Challenges and problem solving are very interesting to me. It is where I find both value and enjoyment. And growth! The things you do will change you. So the problems you solve, will improve you.

Pain, whether it is physical or mental, is a signal. The perspective that I like to take is this: Pain indicates struggle – and struggle is a symptom of you contending with a limit, a boundary. You have hit upon something that is difficult for you. You don’t know how to solve it well yet. There are things to learn, things to figure out. You have to work through that struggle and endure the pain to get to the other side of it and solve that problem you are facing. In the process of course: You grow.

I like a good problem! I gladly face the struggle to overcome and solve that problem.

Except

Well. Not that problem over here.

What?

Yeah. And not those couple of there.

What is going on?

Well. I do not want to deal with those ones. It is outside my scope here, perhaps outside my field in general. Anyway, when I think about it, it is just does not seem right. I sense strong disinterest, almost discomfort, for lack of a better term. It is almost like those problems are repelling me. I think they are probably not for me! Perhaps it is about whether you chose those particular struggles.

But – wasn’t the struggle, the pain supposed to be a signal?

This and not this

Cognitive dissonance is the mental toil you experience when you try to hold conflicting views in your mind. It has you thinking, perhaps put you through a struggle. In this particular example, I have found myself wrestling with it.

You can be fully convinced of the first view (I think I am!), but you have to reconcile it with the second one, too. Your own biases will blur your vision a little, perhaps distort your perspective somewhat. You can rationalize it. Perhaps you hold on to the first view mostly, but allow for context-specific exceptions to accommodate the second view.

Eventually you probably come to the realization that you like some problems more than others. And you wonder, still remembering your first view, whether you should be investing yourself more into your less-favored problems, because that is where you can learn and grow the most.

Hm. You understand that in the context of some, specific topics. Is that true generally though? Or worse yet, those specific areas over there?

You wonder whether you like or dislike those problems for the right reasons.

Reality

The problems and challenges you find depend on the path you are on, the environment you are in. To the extent that they are in the path, the problems do need solving. You can choose whether to do that.

But if you do not, then who will? And when?