8/1/09

"Easy and Ridiculously Simple"


That was easy. Yeah, right.

I have an easy button on my desk in my office. I love it. I enjoy slammin' my palm down on it and hearing it say "That was easy." after I complete some task or goal. The fact of the matter is usually there is nothing easy about achieving my goal (or any goal for that matter). It takes work, commitment, dedication, perseverance, and something I call "being relentless."

I once received a plaque from a mentor I had back in my Academy & military days who helped take me from brilliant, beautiful tree sloth (if there is such a thing) to a lean mean fighting machine. I still have it some 25+ years later on the wall in my office. I look at it every day. It says:

Relentless - to be a fiery, driving force that lets no obstacle or setback get in the way of a noteworthy goal.

Nowhere on that plaque does it say that it will be "easy and ridiculously simple."

NO WHERE.
There are two cases where when I hear people use "Oh, it is so easy"; "It's just so simple"; or the latest that I read today "It's so easy and simple it is ridiculous" I just want to put the "Nice Lady" away and pull out my tazer and proceed with extreme prejudice GI Jane'ing their azz.

I know. I'm off. I'm touched. A lot of ish makes my eye twitch and my hand reach for the tazer. So. Deal.

The first is when it comes to ways to become wealthy or to make money. What I heard today was "....It is so easy and simple it is ridiculous. You have to find out about this business and how easy it is to recession proof your future."

GAG ME WITH A SPOON.

If it is so damn easy to become wealthy in the opportunity you are presenting then why isn't everybody who has been involved in it for more that 90 days not wealth? If it is so damn easy then why aren't you already wealthy and frolicking on the beaches of the world? You've been doing this for more than a year and your not independently wealthy yet? OH! It take 3-5 years. And you've been doing this for 6+? I thought it was SO DAMN EASY IT WAS RIDICULOUS!!!

In all of my years, in all of my travels, with the exposure and experience that we have had, WE HAVE NEVER heard someone who IS wealthy EVER say that it was easy (and yes, we do know people - so please). Not once. They talk about sacrifice. They talk about commitment, dedication, failing forward, sticking to their dream, late nights, long days and only doing the things the will lead to their success. Not once did they ever mention to us that it was a piece of cake...easy as pie.

So, it makes the hair raise up on my back when I hear people get lured into something on the premise that it is "so easy and simple that it is ridiculous" and then said new inductee is faced with the reality of what it REALLY is gonna take to be successful at anything. HARD FRIGGIN WORK.

Period.

The other situation where that "it's so easy and simple it's ridiculous" phrase makes my eye twitch (and my fat quiver-HA!) is when it comes to losing weight. In my experience, that usually comes from someone who has never in their life EVER had to lose more than 5lbs. They have NEVER had a weight "problem", don't know what their BMI is or prolly what it even stands for or, for that matter, even cares. They are usually (but not always) the person that doesn't really have to exercise too much and thinks that most of it is for the birds...cause if you just did what they say is so damn simple, you would be that thin too.

It just ain't that simple.

Making a choice to change your eating habits is not as simple as ABC. It takes 21 days to make a habit and most overweight people have been that way for more than 21 days. There are other issues to overcome on that journey to single or low double digits. Money, education, willpower, commitment, dedication, resources, accountability, medical conditions,...blah, blah blah. It is NOT "just that damn simple".

Once again, except for the commercials that tell you that it is easy as coughing up close to $300/month for their pre-package meals (how many people have that laying around all discretionary like) , I have NEVER met someone who has lost a lot of weight say anything about it being easy. What I've heard is how they had to re-evaluate their entire meal plan, they had to fight with the rest of their family to be supportive, they had to learn to cook/plan 2 sets of meals for their husband/kids, they had to workout - start slow and work up, they had to educate themselves, they had to re-allocate money to the endeavor...THEY HAD TO DO SOME HARD WORK.

I don't see ANYWHERE in that list anything about EASY, SIMPLE.

It's not. While I may not be morbidly obese (except according to Ca.re.Fir.st BC.&BS), it is a struggle every damn day to keep it as tight as I can and keep the fat chick inside me (Uniqua) from bursting out. I applaud & celebrate each and every person I see making an effort, struggling forward, slogging through. With determination & effort, it will happen for us...we may not EVER be a size 6/10 but in our struggle we are healthier, stronger, fitter (is that a word) and wiser.

So, please...Just STOP talking about what you know nothing about. WHATEVER, go ahead, I just stopped listening.

I refuse to take financial/business advice from a broke person (or someone who is not already where I want to go - That's futile - is there a button for that). I refuse to let someone who has never had to worry about weight issues tell me how damn simple it is. I appreciate the recipes, the suggested meal plans etc.; but honestly, it just comes off better from the likes of Dr. Ian Smith (who would have me stuttering like a damn fool if he busted me with a big ole bowl of ice cream like the chick in the commercial). He may have never been fat, but he would never say that it was going to be EASY, SIMPLE.

STOP telling us how easy and simple it is cause ya lyin'...and most of us (I hope) know it.