Choose Your Hard

“Life is pain, highness. Anyone who tells you differently is selling something.”

The Princess Bride

I thoroughly enjoy reading because the wisdom you can draw from people who have spent their career studying, learning, experiencing and practicing a topic, theory or thought and then summarizing it down to 200-300 pages you can consume in the matter of days is astounding to me.

What took someone a decade to prepare, we receive in a fraction of the time in a simple and accessible way.

I also enjoy movies and television shows for the same reasons. Someone puts their life’s work, passion and drive into creating something to share with the world.

Both of these outlets, books and visual media, can provide incredible wisdom. And often it’s found when we aren’t looking for it.

That is how I feel about the quote I shared from the Princess Bride. (Incredibly movie, and book. ROUS’s are real!).

I’m convinced there is nothing easy in life. Even the “easy way out” has its unique difficulties and sacrifices. We usually just choose not to acknowledge them.

We all know if we want something, we have to work for it. But the same is true for us when we choose the easy route. The difficulties are different, yet are still present.

No matter what we do, we all have to “pay the piper”. We all have to answer to and accept the life we’ve created for ourselves to live in.

Even if we know what we want to do and go into it expecting to work and sacrifice, so often we get surprised by how much work and sacrifice it actually is!

And that leads us to a breaking point: press on or fall back. Usually we think in terms of, do what’s easier or what’s harder. But the truth is, they are both hard! We get to choose which hard to pursue.

When it comes to your life, choose your hard. Choose your difficulty. Choose your consequences.

If you choose the “easy road”, your hard will be feeling stuck at a dead end job, moving aimlessly by the whims of others, having a sense of lost identity, not feeling like you’re making an impact.

Conversely, if you choose the road to doing something great and pursuing your dreams, your hard will be years of preparation, years of not feeling like you’re making progress, sacrificing fun and leisure, maybe not having steady income.

No matter what road you choose to go down, just know, both are hard but for different reasons. There is no “easy way out” because eventually, we all have to answer for our choices.

When choosing your hard, choose the one that gives you purpose and hope, allows you to use your passions and talents and creates a path toward doing something great and impactful.

Nothing in life comes easy. Hard truth and, maybe, a harsh reality. But just because you don’t like it doesn’t mean it isn’t true.

Discover the life you desire to have and choose to do the hard things which will move you closer to it. The process is long and will take time, but the fulfillment is what will continue to motivate you.

This truth is universal and applies to every area of life, and in every stage of life:

  • Marriage
  • Parenting
  • Physical health
  • Business and employment
  • Money management
  • Friendships
  • Your future

Sacrifice today, receive the rewards tomorrow.

Choose your hard, because it’s work either way. My thought process is to choose the hard that doesn’t lead to regrets.

I’ll leave you with one more quote from the tv show “Scrubs”:

“Nothing in this world worth having comes easy.”

Dr. Kelso, Scrubs

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