Heroes Don't Take Shortcuts

Posted on June 13, 2024 by David Luscher, One of Thousands of Performance Coaches on Noomii.

Have you noticed that many people on social media now offer courses or webinars promising extraordinary results with little effort? Every day, I see posts in my social media feeds with catchy titles like “10 Easy Steps to Financial Freedom,” “Buy Real Estate with No Money Down,” and my favorite, “The Secrets They Don’t Want You to Know.” Welcome to the era of shortcut promises.

I don’t mean to suggest that all of these creators are purposely misleading people (some are); however, it’s effective to present material this way because it speaks to our desire to achieve a goal with little risk involved. Our brains are hard-wired to avoid pain! Working hard for something and not achieving it is painful. It stands to reason that we would want to avoid that. The paradox is that if our desires weren’t challenging, we wouldn’t want to achieve them.

I’m sure you’ve heard someone ask, “What would you try if you knew you couldn’t fail?” As an exercise, this question can help us consider all possibilities without censoring ourselves. What it overlooks is that if we couldn’t fail in achieving our desires, we would quickly become bored, and the goal would lose all value for us.

The challenge of achieving our goals makes us grow. It demands that we dig deep and make sacrifices. It forces us to rise above and become better than we already are. In 1986, New York City Mayor Ed Koch said, “New York is the city where the future comes to rehearse, where the best come to get better. We’re the leading city because we are the city of leaders. If you’re trying for the top, you cannot top New York.” In other words, it’s where people go to be challenged.

But why would we want to put ourselves through this, to begin with? Because the value we place on our goals comes from why we want to achieve them. Our reasons for achieving are what drive us. The greater purpose behind our efforts is what gets us up early in the morning. It’s why we work late. Purpose is the power! Activity without purpose leads to boredom.

Every hero’s journey has a purpose behind it. Think about Rocky Balboa, Luke Skywalker, Indiana Jones, James Bond, and Mulan. We love these characters because they inspire us to believe in their purpose. It’s why we root for them.

There are no shortcuts; even if there were, you wouldn’t be satisfied with the results. Instead, focus on knowing your purpose. The clearer you are on why you want it, the more you’ll be able to do what it takes to achieve it.

Shameless Plug

Every hero has a guide, someone to help define their purpose and assist them through the challenges. Luke Skywalker had Obi-Wan Kenobi, Rocky had Mickey, and James Bond has M. If you need someone to advise and coach you to reach your goals, reach out to me. It’s what I do. Visit luschersuccesscoaching.com or email me at david@luschersuccesscoaching.com.