Not long ago, I started taking guitar lessons. Left to my own devices, I fill my time with work, so I decided to get intentional about adding in activities that bring me joy & challenge me. I certainly wasn’t going to drift to joy! Plus, I love to learn and when it comes to guitar, I have nothing to do but learn!
Right out of the gate, it felt hard.
My forearms and fingers would get tired. Every single note took so much effort, coordination and attention.
It felt like my fingers were too small & the guitar was too big.
Nothing came easily.
My teacher encouraged me to practice every day. It was a chore.
Every minute of practice took effort. There wasn’t any part of it that felt easy.
There are only two approaches to this kind of situation:
- You put in the work when it’s hard & it eventually becomes easy.
- You avoid the work because it’s hard and it will remain hard.
The more I practice, the easier it gets.
The more I practice, the faster it becomes easy.
I am in control of what feels hard and what feels easy.
So, I practice.
There is true in every area of change.
It’s hard until you earn easy.
I thought of this last night at adult gymnastics. Walk-outs to a push-up on the balance beam felt hard. I thought, “I can’t do it.” Then I quickly thought, if I practiced regularly it would feel easy. The more I practice, the faster my progress to easy!
I get it: eating well can feel hard.
Resisting temptations can feel hard.
Consistency might seem hard.
But it’s only hard because you haven’t done enough work for it to be easy.
Easy is earned.
These things aren’t inherently hard. They aren’t permanently hard.
They are only hard because you haven’t practiced enough.
There are tons of things in my life that once felt hard that are now so easy I do them without thought:
- Publishing a podcast
- Driving
- Push-ups
- Explaining the relationship between insulin & fat loss
- Power cleans
- Flossing my teeth
I did them so often that I got good. Efficient. Proficient.
I want you to think of this the next time something feels hard.
It is only hard because you haven’t earned easy. There are only two approaches you can take:
- Put in the work when it’s hard & it eventually becomes easy.
- Avoid the work because it’s hard and it will remain hard.
Which will you choose today?