One topic that often arises in my home is the idea of comfort. Raising three kids in today’s world brings many luxuries and conveniences that didn’t exist 30 years ago. It’s easy to become lazy, complacent, and soft, making it much harder for me to instill grit and tenacity in my children. This world is simply not the same as it once was. However, I must teach my kids to thrive and survive in it, right? So every time I notice they’re getting a little too comfortable, bam! I change it up. There is danger in comfort, and I want you to hear this loud and clear: Being too comfortable means avoiding struggle, pain, and hard work.
In this life, there’s no substitute for putting in the work.
There’s no shortcut, no hack, no luck, no magic pill that can help you skip the effort. You either put in the work to make your dreams a reality, or you cut corners, skip steps, and risk falling short—getting left in the dust.
Working your ass off is the only strategy that works 100 percent of the time for anything truly worthwhile.
So this weekend, I challenge you to identify the areas in your life where you're not putting in the hard work.
Where are you cutting corners or cheating yourself? When are you being too lazy, or not pushing yourself? What have you done to go above and beyond? How are you limiting your ambition?
One thing I know for sure is that when you invest good days, good weeks, and good years into your goals, the rewards become exponential, meaning, the rewards just get better and better as life goes on. I am at a place in my life right now where I can say I am so happy I worked so hard in my 30s, it is really paying off 12 years later.
This weekend, ask yourself the tough questions. Challenge yourself to step away from comfort, even in small ways. And let me know how you’re ensuring you’re giving maximum effort!
I'm with you.
-Melinda
