It would be easy not to write this blog each day. Easy would be sleeping in instead of ensuring that each morning this blog is written, edited and published by 6 am. These are my standards that I hold myself accountable to. No one is checking my work. No one is making sure I publish each day and on time. No one cares. However I do. Writing each day is hard and that is exactly why I do it.
By nature we like easy. The brain does not like to be challenged or stretched beyond what it knows. Many studies have indicated that the brain is designed to help us survive. For example, notice how sleepy you get in a boring presentation? Yet, watching 3+ hours of TV has you fully engaged and awake. No effort or energy is required to watch TV for hours.
Easy gets us nowhere, fast. By choosing easy we agree to a life lacking meaning. You will never uncover just how great you are if you don’t test and stretch yourself. Push yourself to new areas. You’ll never see what you are actually capable of.
Matthew Dicks author and speaking (whom I’ve had the honor of meeting last month) said in an interview recently, “we choose the path of least resistance. This is why I choose hard goals for myself. My average goal completion rate is 60%. Meaning I fail all the time. If I complete 100% of my goals either my goals were too easy or I did not push myself the right way.”
The goal as I’ve hinted at before is not the destination. It’s like a lighthouse, designed to tell boats and ships were the coast is so they stay away from the coast and not crash. Goals are that, a light house showing you which way to go and what to avoid. Matt’s statement is right! Meditate on it and share with me what you think.
We love easy. If you want to improve any part of your life and self, choose something hard. Pick something difficult. Try something you never have. It’s not the results you’re after. But what you’ll gain by trying. It’s easier to sit on the couch and eat Doritos. It’s hard to go to the gym and squat 300 pounds. Still, think back to when you first started going to the gym and you couldn’t squat 100 pounds. By trying something hard you are getting better and stronger, each day. Keep going. Keep working. Keep making adjustments. You’re on the right path.
Thought Provoking Question 1 : What are you missing out on by taking the easy way?
Dan Roman is a Husband, Father, and writer that releases a daily blog. A quick read on sharing wisdom and asking though-provoking questions.
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