Life has a way of making things look simple until you’re the one doing them. So many times people we see are succeeding in different areas of life do so with such grace that it looks easy. We sometimes hear of people's successes and love it but we forget the struggles, the failures, the hours they spent working behind the scenes to achieve success.
whenever people tell you it's easy to achieve, it is just that they already crossed the hard road, the steps, the struggles, and all the hard work, you name it. But when you first come to it, reality honestly snaps into focus when you realize how tough it is to accomplish anything truly meaningful. You see, the truth is nothing in life is handed to you on a silver platter, no matter how talented, creative or capable you may be.
Even those who make things look easy had to sweat at some point. Example: learning how to drive. It seems so simple from the passenger seat, just steer, accelerate and brake. But as soon as you slide into the driver’s seat, you realize it’s so much more: checking mirrors, coordinating hands and feet, dealing with other drivers and staying alert. Then, suddenly, something that was easy is a challenge.
Entrepreneurship is another. There are so many people that admire successful business owners and believe that running a business is easy; you just think of an idea, sell a product and boom, profit! However, those who attempted to set up a business know the stark reality: financial planning, customer expectations, competitors and losses. It is not easy, and many give up before they make it.
Another thing is parenting, which lot of people misperceived before they undergo the experience. To those who have never been parent before, parenthood is a matter of feeding, sheltering and educating children. But talk to any parent and they’ll tell you about sleepless nights, emotional stress, sacrifices and constant worry about doing the right thing. You don’t appreciate how hard the job is until you are a parent.
Which is why we should be slow to judge others. It is easy to blame others for something you think they could have done better like how some blame their our parents who let us down, friends who don’t come through and others who failed us. But, have we stepped into their shoes? Have we walked their path? Until we experience the same struggles, we may never truly understand their reality.
All worthwhile pursuits in life are difficult. Success, happiness and growth do not come easy. Instead of blaming others or being overly critical, we should try to be more empathetic. We have to recognize that struggle is common, and patience is the solution. Experience is the only means through which we can comprehend, and once we do, that is when realization dawns we never had an easy way, there was only the hard way.