Crying Won’t Do It—Facing Life’s Unwanted Tasks

Does that thought ever pop into your mind?
The one that whispers: I’m too old for this. Too good for this. Too rich for this.

Well, here’s the hard truth—you’re not.

When I was a kid, there were plenty of things I didn’t want to do. I didn’t like reading. I didn’t want to practice the violin. And waking up early for Chinese school on Saturday mornings? Forget it. But at the end of the day, I still had to do them—at least enough to get by.

Now that I’m a dad, I hear the same soundtrack playing through my son’s complaints. He doesn’t want to go to school. He doesn’t want to do homework. He doesn’t want to get ready for bed or eat his vegetables. The cycle continues.

And let’s be real—it doesn’t magically disappear when you grow up. Adults have their own list: pay bills, pay taxes, wake up for work, clean the house. Some tasks never change, no matter your age.

Then there are the big ones—the things no one wants to face: illness, injury, emotional trauma, loss. Life throws these at us whether we’re ready or not. And unlike those little tasks, you can’t outsource or ignore them forever.

Sure, money and resources might soften some blows. You can hire a maid, a nanny, a tutor, or even a mechanic to deal with the small stuff. You can prolong certain things with treatments, trainers, or quick fixes. But sooner or later, life catches up. No amount of money, status, or friends can buy you an escape from pain, loss, or heartbreak.

Remember the Final Destination movies? You can run all you want, but destiny catches up. Life works the same way.

So at some point, you have to turn around and face it. Crying, complaining, or avoiding won’t get you off the hook. I tell my son this all the time: “Crying doesn’t get you out of homework. By the time you’re done crying, you could’ve already finished it.”

And honestly, that applies to all of us. The energy we waste avoiding reality could’ve been spent overcoming it.

Even with life’s hardest challenges—the ones that leave you grieving, shaken, or broken—you still have the capacity to move forward. Yes, mourn if you need to. Get help when it feels overwhelming. But eventually, you have to accept reality, stand up, and take the next step.

Because at the end of the day, we all have the ability to get through what’s in front of us. Some may have more resources than others, but every single one of us has the inner strength to face life’s unwanted tasks—whether big or small.

So don’t cry about it. Don’t avoid it. Just do it. Because life isn’t waiting—and neither should you.