The cost of easy...
Why do so many people want the easy way? Of course having things fast with no hassle is great. But where is the value in all of that and what are the consequences?
Easy means you don’t recognize the sacrifice and then can’t appreciate the cost of working for something. You can’t ever place the value in something that cost you nothing to get. Most people who win the lottery spend the money and are broke in a matter of time. They never learned how to work hard to acquire the money or build something of value and when given money in most cases you don’t value what you have because you got it so easy. You just get the short term benefit of buying things until the money is gone.
Everything in life worth having has a price to pay to have. You need to learn and grow in your quest to achieve the most of life. There lies the very value of life the work and sacrifice you make to achieve something. Having money, a good relationship, great health all require sacrifices and a lot of learning. If we walked away from something every-time it got hard we would never learn and we would never value anything properly. That which takes time to acquire is valuable. That which is easy we place little to no value on.
You learn so much more working for something and eventually achieving it because you know what it cost you to achieve it. Everything takes time and that is part of the price you pay to create something of great value. A great relationship takes effort and anyone who thinks it just works out when you find the right person is kidding themselves. You find a person that best fits what you want and then you work like hell on making it work. Whether in business, a relationship, developing a great physique or anything of value you will need to work hard, fail, learn and try again. When you understand this process you won’t be afraid to keep working hard for something great.
We tend to deceive ourselves that we can wonder through life with no problems and just take the easy route. The problem is there is no easy. There is always a cost. I love this quote I heard:
Being broke is hard, being rich is hard choose your hard.
Having a great relationship is hard, having superficial connections is hard choose your hard.
Life is hard and we must constantly access what type of hard we want to fight for. If the hard we fight for creates value it will be powerful and bring great things. If our quest is for easy it will still be hard but you will be facing a different type of hard where no value has been created. Before you choose easy make sure to understand the value created. Life was never meant to be easy but it can be wonderful when you learn to create value.
Under great pressure and heat a diamond is formed
Under intense heat gold is purified burning off all the impurities
A pearl is created by a grain of sand that agitates the oyster.
The same for you. The things that push your boundaries, the trials you face, your failures in the end make you better if you see them for what they are.
So why do we want easy? We have become accustomed to getting things so easy and fast. We don’t place value on making efforts on achieving what we want at any cost even if that cost is detrimental to us.
We want the excitement of a relationship without the problems.
We want the fit body but only want to take a pill without making too much effort.
We want instant gratification without valuing the process for delayed gratification.
If you see hard work as bad luck and something to avoid maybe the easy life is for you. But if you want the most of life chase after value, not easy. In the end both will be hard but choose your hard and what creates the most value in your life.
A few years ago through a mentor and good friend I learned the importance of the value proposition. How to seek and create value in life. When you change your perspective you change your life