The Easy Way

There is an easier way to do things, or so the marketers try to tell us. Want to lose weight? Buy this pill. Want to get in shape? You need this fancy ab machine.

If you’re tempted to buy the exercise machine, you’ll discover quickly that even with it, your dream of having washboard abs will require months and months of strenuous daily workouts. That’s probably not what you had in mind when you’re reached for your credit card.

A significant achievement requires a significant effort. That has always been true. There are no shortcuts to success. Shortcuts are in fact a waste of time. They’ll leave your feeling discouraged and farther behind than you would be if you had put the effort in in the first place.

For whatever it is that you want to achieve, resolve to do the hard work that it will take to get you to your goal. Block out time on your calendar. Schedule the tasks that need to be done and stick with the plan. Do whatever it takes to stay motivated and keep going. Log your time so you can see how much you’ve done (or where you need to do more). Ask for help when you need it - everyone does - and do your best to make the process as fun and rewarding as possible.

The good news is that when you do the real, hard work that it takes to improve or move toward a goal, you’ll see real results, not right away, but it won’t take too long. The results will be your best reward. If you’re not seeing results, you may be doing something wrong, and you need to revise your plan. Don’t grind away doing something ineffective. Get on a good path and have fun with it. You’ll get there, and it will feel great. Don’t shy away from hard work. The hard way is actually the easy way, because no other path will take you to where you want to be.