Great Bargain On Decent Character: Make The Effort
Everybody wants a deal. Everyone is looking for the next big thing. A lot of resources are invested in looking for discount deals, half price deals, going out of business deals, online deals, computer deals and yard sale deals. People are so eager to save money they often spend it on things they don’t really want because it was a good deal. It is the human condition to seek a bargain or a short cut. People want to get a bargain or something that costs less then it is worth. It is a way of thinking that creates a living pattern where the focus is on easy acquisition. If finding a bargain and taking the easy path become primary motivators, many of the important aspects of living begin to suffer. Who we are is formed by environment, values, role models and consequences of actions. There are no special deals on creating character. There are no quick paths to developing a quality inner life. Short cuts are only diversions.
Some folks will spend a great deal of resources looking for the easy way to get something done. In a macro view of the world this can be illustrated in the action of getting leaves off the sidewalk. Sweeping leaves into a pile demands physical effort and a broom. To make it easier, someone introduced a leaf blower. Clearing leaves became simple, just point the blower and push the leaves where desired. Consider that the leaf blower is a more complicated piece of equipment then a stick with a straw end. It required research, components, manufacturing, and energy supplied by resources. Those resources, oil and gas, require extraction, transporting, refining, shipping to a distribution location, acquisition by the end user who has to use natural resources to obtain the can of gas. Many people had to assist to blow those leaves away. Not to mention, the homeowner gets no exercise sweeping up leaves so he has to run off to the gym to stay in shape. What a deal.
In personal development the same concepts apply. Often in an effort to minimize pain or hard inner work, people will go to great lengths trying to go the easy way, not realizing the full cost of their decisions. Most people know of a boss that demands respect but is not willing to make the effort to respect others. Who hasn’t heard the stories about people that will do nearly anything for love unless it means learning to love themselves? Why are there so many folks that turn to drugs or alcohol to numb the pain of their life only to realize years later it would have been much easier to just face the initial pain head on? There are no bargains on character without truly wrestling with ones character.
Developing a good character can be hard work, but like most things, increased attention leads to increased accomplishment. If the goal is to be an honest person, then being honest has to happen all the time, not just when it is easy. Character, like everything important, requires attention and maintenance.
There are great deals to be had in the world. But when it comes to being the person in the mirror that you can admire, doing the hard work is in fact the best deal and the shortest path.
Connor Sullivan often searches the internet to find discount deals on everything from appliances and electronics to clothing and food. His wife loves to search the internet to find online deals on many items such as clothing. Click here to get your own unique version of this article with free reprint rights.