Are you intrigued by the allure of instant results?
The better question might be, who isn’t?
In fact, walk into any store and you’ll see just how intriguing this idea is simply from what’s on the shelves. The claims blare forth from every product label and magazine cover.
We’re living in a culture that flat out expects everything to happen effortlessly and overnight – you’ll see it’s true as we expectantly fill our carts with things like
- “Five-Day Juice Cleanse”
- “10 Days to a Less Defiant Child”
- “Four Hour Workweek”
- “21 Day Fix”
We want what we want and we want it NOW.
Online, we’re searching for #lifehacks, shortcuts to productivity that can help us squeeze more into our overloaded days. When we have a problem or are facing an issue, we Google it and we expect an instant answer. Sometimes we don’t even consider the source! We just take the advice and run with it.
We’re always in such a hurry, but I’m wondering if our quest for productivity is coming at a cost.
When we expect everything to come quickly, will we forget what it means to persevere? When we want it to be easy, will we lose the joy of giving something our all? When we ask that it be done for us, will we forego the satisfaction of doing it ourselves?
Our hurry-up culture is selling us what we think we want, but not necessarily what we need.
Here’s why that’s going to hurt us.
When we put time and energy toward a goal, we are invested in the outcome. We can quietly observe our progress. We can make mistakes and learn from them. We can shape our point of view from our own experience. We can build habits that will last.
But when we buy our way into a quick fix, we indirectly absolve ourselves of responsibility. If we get results, we’ll claim them. But if we don’t? Well, then we have someone to blame.
Quick fixes are overrated. They don’t put us on the line. And we need to be on the line, giving it our all, if we’re going to experience the thrilling satisfaction of victory.
The next time you’re in a situation where the result really matters, why not look past the quick fix and instead search for the path that feels the most authentic, and genuine, and compelling, even if it requires more effort?
Why not give it your all?
The results will astound you.
And if you don’t know where to start, I’ve got your back. Join me in the Brilliant Balance Facebook Group, or book a FREE Breakthrough Session here.
Download your Rebalancing Toolkit to design a week that lets you feel like you have it all:
https://brilliantbalance.net/haveitall
Learn more about my work:
https://brilliant-balance.com
This is based on a blog post originally published August 9, 2016
