Hard Choices Easy Life. Easy Choices Hard Life.

Think about which is easy and which is hard in these scenarios: sleep until you have to be up, get up and go to work OR set an alarm for an hour before you have to get up and workout before work? Staying in the secure, familiar job you have that you despise, OR do the work to find a new job, interview and start a new job? Drinking every night when you get home OR digging down deep and figuring out why you rely on alcohol every night?The answers to this exercise are clear. Each scenario has a choice that’s easy for you and a choice that’s hard for you. It’s much easier to sleep in, stay in your job you know and toss a few back to deal with stress but what is that doing for you? The hard choices in these scenarios will make you much healthier and happier in every aspect of your life. So why don’t people do it? The answer is simple, it’s HARD!

It’s hard to start a new job, new exercise and health routine, to give up drinking and dig deep into your past and unravel yourself. It’s hard to learn an instrument, to start reading, to put yourself out there to make friends or find a partner. It’s hard to constantly work on your relationships and yourself. But the thing is, everything worth doing is hard. When was the last time you heard someone who achieved anything great talk about how easy it was? Michael Jordan, who for my money is the greatest basketball player of all time, was notorious for his work ethic. Constantly making the hard choices. Now you can say, oh but he’s was born with great genetics! Sure, his genes helped him get to where he was, but do you know how many 6 foot 6 inch, athletic basketball players never make it to the NBA or flame out after a few years, let alone to be the GOAT? A lot. Sure, he could have made easy choices, coasted on his ability and carved out a career in basketball, but nothing great.

I think it’s human instinct to make the easy choices. Back when we as a species had to hunt and scavenge for food, it was hard, so we never had the chance to get complacent and make easy choices. It wasn’t an option. Now we have everything we need readily available and it’s hard to push yourself out of that comfort zone when you’re doing fine with what you’ve already got. But that’s the problem, most of us are just fine. I don’t know about you, but I want more than fine. As the old saying goes “Good is the enemy of great.” Ask anyone who’s ever done something really hard and came out the other side, you’ll find out it was worth it. Ask parents, people in recovery, business owners, athletes that played at a high level. All they’re work has paid off. All of the hard decisions they made, bypassing all of the easy choices and distractions, has put them in the position they are in. If you want more, you’ve got to make the hard choices.

I can tell you from experience from when I’ve made hard choices over the easy ones. I was once an athlete who worked hard to get better instead of hanging out with peers, I have changed careers, then changed schools once I was in my career, I went to graduate school while working and having a new baby boy, I help to raise two beautiful children, my wife and I constantly work on our relationship. All these things were and are still HARD. None of it was easy. But all of it was worth it.

“Do what is easy and your life will be hard. Do what is hard and your live will become easy.” - Les Brown