The hard way, the only way

When I was in my 20s, I used to think there could be an easy way to get what I want. I was always looking for an easy way to get things done, and for that, I have no ambition to be anything significant. It took me some years to come out of my cluelessness and to understand that there is no easy way to live. It was all an illusion driven by laziness that I could have what I wanted easily than the hard way others are getting theirs. I used to call it hope, that sounds like a wish. But I found out later that, that was the greatest lie I have told myself. "If wishes were horses beggars would ride".

The quickest way to frustrate one's own life is to think there is an easy way to get what you want. There is a place between a starting point and a destination, and that place is called the present. But if you don't know where you are coming from you won't know what you are looking for, and when you don't know what you are looking for, you don't have a direction, and having no direction equals no destination. If you have found a destination you will need to find the path that leads to that place. If you choose to take an easy route you only end up being frustrated.

A shortcut often leads to nowhere, and a straight line is the shortest distance between two points. Sound odd, right? If you desire a change in your life, the first thing is finding a destination by defining your goal in the most concrete and specific terms possible. Your goal becomes your destination. Then, know where you are now, which is your present. Bear in mind, you need both a present and destination to get directions, that is know what to do.

When you look at a destination in a straight line you can visualize the challenges ahead which inform you of the kind of mindset you need to have to surmount those challenges. But if you think of taking a shortcut to avoid those challenges you end up being frustrated meeting yourself at a different destination. I used to think of most successful people as being fortunate to get the opportunity that took them to where they are in life. But I later found out that there is no such thing as being fortunate. Opportunity happens when preparation meets good luck. And preparation is is hard work that most people want to avoid.

Is there an easy way to live?

People seem to think that there is an easy way of life. They think some secrets are hidden. Some think real change or success is found in some special technique. The principle of life is very simple. If you can't work, you won't eat. If you can't improve your skills you end up losing your job. If you don't practice you don't become proficient. If you treat your union with lightness your relationship suffers. This is not magic at all but the wisdom of age.

Life seems to be simple, but it’s hard work, and most people look for the easy way or shortcuts. You may want to ask, how about those who win a huge lottery just by throwing a dice, or those who inherited a fortune from a dead parent? Firstly, taking your chance in a lottery contest would be a big risk to take when it's all about your life. Secondly, those who inherited a fortune soon come to fail if they failed to work hard to keep their fortunes. It’s better to use wisdom and the proven principles of ages.

Taking the hard way is the best way

The hard way is still the best way, and it is a sort of investment in yourself. The lessons learned, the discovery, and the new skills acquired on your way to overcoming the challenges while taking the hard way will pay off for you in the long run. You can be confident of yourself and be proud of your achievements because you did it the hard way. You have earned it. And no one can dispute your results.

Taking the easy way is like short charging ourselves and selling out our confidence in the name of convenience. And who knows we might end up selling everything meaningful in our lives just to keep things in an easy way. When we were in school, we sold out our conscience and cheat our way up for promotion on the big test. Nothing else matters except the craving for high grades and graduation and getting on with life. And in business, the easy way is to cut some corners by giving them a false balance of measure, giving the customer a little less than he paid for. We feel confident about this. After all, life is all about "dog eat dogs" and survival of the fittest. A jungle of no justice, and who is going to know?

We treat our marriages with levity, give in to that extra-marital flirting, and have a little extramarital affair. We grew cold about our spouses and started suspecting each other, thereby breaking our marital vows. And who can help it? Besides, who is going to caution us? More so as parents, we improvised our duty to our children by buying them televisions, computers, and toys rather than spending quality time with them. That seems the easier and best way for us to have more time for ourselves. We feel satisfied as long as our children have things that keep them occupied. But what difference could all that make?

There comes a time in life when you look inward and around you and found out that you missed your destination in life. Then you realize you have no ethical principle. There is no inner strength, you wasted your energy pursuing frivolity. No marital intimacy or family support. You ran the race, you finished your course, you made the journey, but it took the shortcuts and landed on another planet. And who knew the pain you might be going through?.

I tried to present the information here in the best way that I can. This is not against working smarter or making things more simple. There is nothing wrong with that. You don't have to make things harder than they should be. Our problem is that we seem to think that what is hard should not be done. And it must be changed or substituted for something easier to do. This informs the reason why we often fail to reach our real goals and find ourselves in a false career or profession we are not happy with. And more importantly, we rob ourselves of some much-needed lessons and training in life. There is no easy way to live, the hard way is still the only way.