What Do You Get from Making Things Hard?

6/15/17

What are you getting from making things HARD?

My 13 year old daughter unknowingly enlightened me with an awesome moment of zen recently.

Her 10 year old sister was preparing for a test that’s a big deal here in the U.S.. She tacked on what seemed like 10 extra and totally unnecessary steps that complicated the math problem just for the sake of complicating it. She insisted that the teacher requires them to solve it that way.

Big Sister commented that next year they would learn, “the easy way, and the hard way and you can pick which one you want. I never understood, though…some kids would ALWAYS take the hard way every time even though there’s NO extra credit for doing it the hard way.”

Boom.
Brilliance.

Do YOU tend to the things the hard way? I know I have many times. It’s one thing I hate to admit that my ex was right about. He used to always ask, “Why are you so determined to make everything hard?”

(being with him for 14 years was evidence of that determination – haha!)

But here’s the thing… I finally realized that part of my shtick – my ego/image that I was unknowingly living into – was that I could overcome ANYTHING. So it made sense to make things hard so that I would have a big raging inferno to come rising up out of and triumph over.

While it may seem that (outside of grade school) there is NO EXTRA CREDIT for doing things the hard way…
… you ARE getting something out of it. Otherwise you wouldn’t keep it in place.

There is some belief that you are validating about yourself, or others, or the world around you.

Something you get to be right about. Or control others with. Or avoid being controlled. Or look really “good” for the struggle and determination.

Just like I was getting the awesome payoff of rising from the ashes of doom and destruction. That made me look damn good. People would say “I don’t know how you do it!” (thank you…I know …GAG!)

So if you feel like things are hard, or you’re taking the long way, or you know you’re making this “freedom-based” business more difficult than it needs to be, ask yourself:

What are you getting out of it … what’s YOUR “extra credit”?

And is it really worth the suffering?

If you’re ready to give up the suffering and let this entrepreneurial thing be easy (or, even let LIFE be easy), check out 6 Simple Mindset Strategies to Go from Stuck to Unstoppable and Set Yourself Free. It’s my free gift for you.