The Struggle is Necessary

In a world of instant answers, struggle feels outdated.It feels like it doesn’t matter. Why wrestle with documentation, error logs, or confusing concepts when AI or even a quick Google search can give you a solution in seconds?

But here’s the truth: struggle isn’t a barrier to learning. Struggle is the learning.

Think back to a time you finally solved a bug after hours of trial and error. The satisfaction wasn’t just in fixing the code it was in what you gained along the way. Those hours of debugging and sitting and staring at the same error isn’t useless. You learned how to troubleshoot more effectively, how to connect dots across different pieces of information, and how to stay calm under pressure. That knowledge sticks because you earned it.

When we skip the struggle, we rob ourselves of that depth. Instant solutions may feel efficient, but they often leave the foundation weak. The next time the same issue pops up, we’re back at square one, waiting for someone or something to rescue us.

Struggle builds resilience, muscle memory, and confidence. It forces us to ask better questions and sharpen our instincts. It’s not wasted time; it’s compound interest on our future skills.

This doesn’t mean avoiding help altogether. Tools like AI, mentors, or forums are valuable but they should come after we’ve put in the work ourselves. By first leaning into the struggle, we make those external answers richer, because we understand why they work and how to apply them again.

So the next time you’re stuck, don’t rush to eliminate the discomfort. Sit with it. Wrestle with it. Struggle isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s the forge where real skill is built.