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“In a world of least resistance, where most things are designed to be fast, fun, and easy, you have a choice to go against the current. It is in the struggle that you find your strength and discover your true potential.”
Society is grappling with an epidemic characterized by a strong desire for things that are fast, enjoyable, and effortless.
From browsing social media to ordering food, shopping online, and streaming our favorite shows, everything is now incredibly convenient with little to no friction.
The algorithm ensures we maintain our scrolling behavior and continue to buy from the companies they sell adds to.
People of all genders and ages are mindlessly following the path of least resistance, resulting in a rapid decline in both their mental and physical health.
We have the impulse control of a child, the energy of a sick seventy-year-old, and the immune system of a cancer patient in chemotherapy.
Each time we prioritize fun, speed, and ease over challenging ourselves, our ability to respond to life’s challenges diminishes.
We don’t improve or make any investments in our future self.
Without goals, we make little progress in areas that truly make us happy.
When we miss out on progress, we don’t experience personal growth, feel accomplished, or boost our self-esteem.
Building self-confidence and finding fulfillment in life requires doing the hard things.
Progress is not about how quickly, enjoyable, or effortless it is, but about the steps we take and the milestones we achieve in various aspects of our lives.
How can we break the cycle of undervaluing ourselves and start pursuing the things that fill us with a sense of pride?
Let’s start by understanding our tendency to take the easiest path and the things that make us feel confident and good about ourselves.
The Allure of the Path of Least Resistance
The path of least resistance refers to the tendency to choose the easiest, most convenient, and effortless route in life.
This tendency is deeply ingrained in our biology and reflects our evolutionary history as hunter-gatherers.
Our brains are hard-wired to follow the path of least resistance to seek comfort and avoid hardship to stay safe and conserve energy.
This bias has both positive and negative consequences for our behavior.
On the one hand, it helps us conserve energy and avoid taking on unnecessary risks. On the other hand, it also lead us to avoid challenges and miss out on potential opportunities.
Your brain is constantly making trade-offs between effort and rewards.
When making choices, you favor easy and rewarding options over better long-term options.
A study found that the amount of effort required to do something not only influences what we think, but what we see.
This phenomenon is commonly referred to by researchers as effort discounting.
The easiest way I know how to explain it is that as the effort increases, the value people place on outcomes decreases.
Researchers across multiple domains have made observations of this phenomenon, including decision-making, judgment, and perception.
Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky conducted one of the most well-known studies on effort discounting.
Participants in this study had to make choices between options that differed in value and the effort needed to gain them.
The participants were given a choice between receiving $100 right away or $120 after two weeks.
The study found that people preferred the easier option, even though it was worth less.
Here are a few more ways effort discounting shows up in our lives that you properly recognize:
- You are more likely to eat junk food instead of healthy food because it is easier and faster to prepare.
- You are more likely to procrastinate on tasks that require effort, even if they are important.
- You are more likely to agree to do favors for others if they are easy to do, even if you don’t really want to do them.
When you understand effort discounting, you can design an environment that guides your decision-making on time and energy investments.
You learn to avoid choices that ultimately lead to unhappiness.
The Illusion of Happiness
At first glance, the path of least resistance is appealing.
We use less glucose and conserve energy.
A life characterized by ease and convenience is something everyone wants, right?
Well, what we want is rarely compatible with our needs.
Choosing the path of least resistance lacks the building blocks for personal growth and lasting happiness.
If you consistently choose the easy and convenient path, you’ll never experience the satisfaction of pushing yourself, acquiring new skills, and conquering difficulties.
Your self-leadership declines and you transition from creator to consumer of your own life.
Why you Keep Pursuing the Path of Least Resistance
There are several reasons we keep pursuing the path of least resistance.
When you remove the layers, you often discover a resistance caused by the fear of failure or the belief that putting in effort is unpleasant.
Immediate Gratification
Repeatedly, I see young people choosing what’s easy and convenient often provides instant gratification.
It feels good in the moment, and they are drawn to that feeling without considering the long-term consequences.
I believe that most of the mental health issues we are seeing in children and young adults today are two sides of the same coin.
On one side, we have overprotective parents and adults who are excessively cautious, and on the other side, there is a constant pursuit of the easiest path from everyone involved.
This creates a new type of human being who is sleep deprived, lacks healthy energy, and lacks focus.
Lack of boundaries
When you cannot set clear limits or restrictions for yourself, you cannot establish boundaries in terms of your time, energy, or personal commitments.
As a result, you constantly prioritize what is easy and convenient without considering the long-term consequences or the impact on your health.
This lack of boundaries hinders your ability to challenge yourself, take on new experiences, and develop the skills necessary for a better life.
Fear of Failure
Stepping out of your comfort zone and taking on challenges is scary.
The fear of failure or the unknown makes you opt for what’s familiar and comfortable instead.
Perfectionists often have a hard time taking action because they’re afraid of making mistakes. They often spend so much time worrying about doing things perfectly that they never get started.
They may also believe that they’re not enough to succeed, so they don’t even try, letting their self-doubt consume changes of succeeding.
Lack of Awareness
Often, you are not fully aware of the negative effects of constantly choosing the path of least resistance.
A lack of awareness affects what you eat, what you watch, buy, and how you live and love.
Procrastinators often put off tasks because they find them unpleasant or difficult.
They often struggle with self-discipline and motivation.
As a result, they constantly choose the path of least resistance, even if it means sacrificing their long-term goals.
Developing better skills requires being more aware of yourself.
Awareness is realizing when something’s challenging and deciding not to take the easy way out.
Social Pressure
Society, and especially social media, promotes the idea of quick and easy solutions as the “good life.”
Messages brainwash us by promising that we can attain everything through life-hack shortcuts.
This societal pressure influences our choices and leads us to prioritize convenience over personal growth.
People who fear failure are more likely to take the path of least resistance because they don’t want to risk putting themselves out there and being judged.
Confidence and self-esteem and doing hard things
The Importance of Stepping out of Comfort Zones
Doing challenging tasks outside your comfort zone and pushing your limits breeds confidence and self-esteem.
It is you embracing challenges and overcoming obstacles. That signals your capability to handle difficult situations back yo you in real time.
This builds a sense of accomplishment and resilience, boosting your confidence and self-esteem.
You carry that with you wherever you go.
It is through overcoming obstacles we find true happiness and fulfillment in life, not fast, fun and easy.
How to get started
To resist the urge to choose the path of least resistance, you must make a deliberate effort and be aware of yourself.
In order to resist those impulses, it is crucial to pinpoint the specific situations in which you are most likely to give in to temptation and create tactics for conquering them.
Define your comfort zone
Test your limits by exploring new experiences or tackling tasks that are difficult or uncomfortable.
This includes learning a new skill, taking part in activities outside of your usual routine, or taking on a project that stretches your abilities.
Connect our actions to your long-term goals
When you anchor your choices to your desired outcomes, you are more likely to make decisions that align with your values and aspirations.
Take some time to identify specific goals that you want to achieve in different areas of your life.
Relate your goals to personal skills, relationships, or any other aspect that brings you joy and fulfillment.
Without clear and specific goals, you don’t know what you are aiming for.
Shift perspective
Embrace failure as a learning opportunity
Instead of avoiding failure, see it as a chance to grow and learn. When you encounter setbacks or make mistakes, reflect on what you learn from them and how you will improve in the future.
Master Self-reflection
Take time each day to reflect on your actions, thoughts, and emotions.
Ask yourself what you do differently to foster personal growth and self-discovery.
Journaling is a helpful tool for this practice.
Kill All distractions
Identify your distractions, minimize external distractions and internal distractions.
Establish clear boundaries by dedicating specific periods of time each day to disconnect from technology, especially your phone.
Use this time to engage in activities that promote personal growth, such as reading, meditating, or pursuing a hobby.
Create Daily Challenges
Look for opportunities to challenge yourself in different aspects of your life.
This involves taking on additional responsibilities at work, starting a project, taking part in challenging physical activities, or engaging in intellectually stimulating conversations.
You are the sum of the five people you follow on social media
Your social media feeds are curated collections of information and opinions from the people and groups you choose to engage with.
By following certain accounts, you actively invite their ideas and perspectives into your daily life. Over time, this constant exposure to their content influence your thinking, behaviors, and habits.
According to a study published in the journal “Psychological Science,” individuals who followed positive and inspiring social media accounts reported higher levels of happiness and life satisfaction.
Another study, published in the journal “Cyber-psychology, Behavior, and Social Networking,” found that people who were exposed to negative social media content were more prone to experience feelings of sadness, loneliness, and envy.
A third study, published in the journal “Social Science Computer Review,” found that people who used social media more frequently were more likely to develop social comparison anxiety, which is a fear of not being as good as others.
This is because your brain is wired to absorb information from your surroundings and use it to form your own beliefs and behaviors.
The more you consume content from certain sources, the more you internalize their perspectives and adopt their attitudes.
First, find out who you are, then surround yourself with individuals who encourage and support your personal growth journey.
It doesn’t work the other way.
Seek mentors, friends, or communities that share YOUR goals and values and simultaneously expose yourself to opposing opinions.
Block Time for Self-care
Take care of your physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
Get enough rest, eat nutritious meals, engage in activities that bring you joy, and practice self-care rituals that help you recharge.
Track, measure and evaluate
Keep a record or journal of your actions, thoughts, and emotions.
This allows you to track your efforts, measure your achievements, and evaluate the effectiveness of the strategies or practices you are implementing.
By tracking your progress, you identify patterns, strengths, and areas for improvement.
Measuring your achievements helps you see how far you have come and provides motivation to continue on your personal growth journey.
Evaluation involves reflecting on the outcomes and making adjustments or setting new goals based on your observations.
This process helps you gain self-awareness, identify what works best for you, and make informed decisions.
Counterarguments
The idea of “least resistance” has been extensively debated in recent times.
Some argue that the path of least resistance is a valid choice based on our unique circumstances and priorities.
Yes, personal development is a luxury that a person working two jobs can’t afford if they already have more than enough on their plate.
Juggling their obligations and making enough money to cover expenses consumes a significant amount of our time.
Final thoughts
Overcoming your tendency to take the path of least resistance is an ongoing journey of self-discovery and personal growth.
Be kind to yourself.
Set aside time to understand your motivations and develop effective strategies to break free from old patterns.
Focus on creating a life that aligns with your desires.
Start small with these practices and gradually incorporate them into your daily life. Stay committed and be patient with yourself as you navigate this transformative path.
Confidence and self-esteem come from overcoming obstacles – not avoiding them.
Pushing yourself beyond your limits is not what causes stress; living fast, fun, and easy is.
Stay committed and be patient with yourself as you navigate this transformative path.
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