Walk into any store in your neighborhood and you’ll see just how intrigued we are by the allure of instant results. 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 The 5 Day Juice Cleanse and 10 Days to a Less Defiant Child. We buy the Four Hour Workweek and the 21 Day Fix. We want what we want right this minute.
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 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.
Apropos during the Olympics! The years of preparation, the daily dedication, and the perseverance of these athletes are one example of what you are talking about. They put in the time and are rewarded with results that allow them to call themselves part of an elite group.