Change is Inconvenient

“Culture likes the status quo!” Seth Godin

In one of his latest provocative posts Seth Godin writes about the reluctance of culture (and individuals) to change because staying the same is more convenient.

I had dinner with a younger friend last week. After just a couple years of being married he confided that he and his wife realized how important it was to work more intentionally on the health of their relationship. After much ongoing therapy they both realized they faced a significant choice: stay the same and just “get along,” or make some changes and “thrive” in their marriage. Fortunately for them, they have chosen the latter.

Change is Not Easy

How common it has become in our culture to promote the easy way. Such thinking is found in “The Simple 3 Steps” or dozens of other book titles and website adverts. There is nothing easy about living a genuinely fruitful life. It requires effort and work—most frequently “hard work.”

I firmly believe you get what you pay for. The best people in whatever field or discipline have paid a high price for success. No matter if it is athletics or business or relationships, great success requires great effort. And such effort is indeed most inconvenient. However, the easy way will never lead to deep personal satisfaction and attaining your dreams.

The Pleasure in Pain

Now… intentional effort is does not have to be painful. In fact, the most successful adventurers in life that I know love the hard work. My son, for example, works out in the gym several hours most every day and thoroughly enjoys the excruciating efforts. As a result, he gets to play baseball… for a living.

I have a handful of very wealthy friends—of which I am certainly not one—who developed their careers working 60-70 hours per week for decades; and they loved every bit of it. Yes, they struggled. Yes, it was not always fun. But few things satisfy more than reward from your extra effort.

The Rewards of Change

At this point of my essay, I think it is important to note that rewards are not best measured by fame or fortune. The rewards are found internally by a deep sense of inner personal satisfaction and by the development of engaging relationships.

Perhaps the bottom-line is about paying more attention to the word “intentional.” Being intentional requires effort and often inconvenience. And most problematic is that it requires change and the refusal to settle with the lesser option.

Once again… as always… it’s your choice!

Change is Never Easy

And It Certainly is Never Convenient

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