Counterpoint: Doing What’s Difficult is the Easiest Path to Work that Matters
We’ve all told someone or been told by someone at one time or another that “if it was easy everybody would do it.” When those words come out of anyone’s mouth it’s usually to make someone feel better when facing a difficult situation. However, in that moment when someone speaks those words it’s hard to believe that the difficulty of the moment is actually a good thing. But the truth is difficult IS good.
My favorite daily blogger Seth Godin says it best on his blog:
If it were easy then everyone else would find it easy as well. Which would make it awfully difficult to do important work…
…When difficulties arise, it might very well be good news. Because those difficulties may dissuade all the people who aren’t as dedicated as you are.
Godin’s point is simple. If everyone is doing something, then when you do it, it won’t matter that much. It’s possible it won’t matter at all. Therefore, the only way to do work that matters is to do difficult work.
For me, I translate Godin’s message to this blog. I’m one of the few individuals who show up every single day to publish a blog. In fact, I’ve published an article on this blog for 882 days in a row. There are many bloggers who easily find the time to publish once a week or once a month. There are only a few who do it daily. Even less who currently have a streak longer than 882 days in a row like me. While it’s more difficult to write every day, it’s easier to have a blog that matters when you do it every day.
As a result, my journey to do work that matters is through keeping my daily streak going no matter how difficult it is for me on any given day to find time to write. Even on a day like today on Thanksgiving Eve when I’ve been busy all day volunteering and running errands. It would be easy for me to make an excuse to skip writing on a day like today. However, as Godin points out, the more difficult the task the more likely the task matters. As counterintuitive as this may be, doing difficult work is the easiest path to doing work that matters.