Simple and easy are both subjective, and can be relative to one’s background and experience. But simple does not equate to easy – something can be simple to achieve, but not easy to get it. This difference is something that confuses many people and can be a source of serious conflict.
I recently had lunch with a friend, who said that he doesn’t regard himself as an innovative person because he is brilliant in following instructions – that point hit the back of my mind and rang through my head for many days after that, sometimes even in my dreams. What he said was very profound – it showed me that this man knew himself quite well and was comfortable with the space he is in and how he can thrive even more there.
He kept on telling me some of the options and future decisions I should make that would make, not only my life, but those around me, to be simpler than what I was imaging and experiencing. He hinted about his exposure and the benefits that he is reaping from that.
He was basically saying that most of the obstacles that we see in our lives are self-created, mostly unconsciously, but we have the power to eliminate them by being in the right environment, if we have the liberty to do so.
At any given moment, there are a lot of things that happen around you that you are not necessarily aware of, which could be to your detriment. Some of the things may appear to be boosting you, but could actually be loading some unnecessary weight on you and your ability to achieve your goals. These become your personal hardships, and may also be your source of motivation in getting pumped up to achieve your goals – even after learning new approaches to be motivated and achieve your goals at faster and easier methods, you could continue to revert to the old methods that drain you over and over.
So, my friend’s comment, “I am brilliant in following instructions”, was basically saying that following instructions for goals to be achieved is simple but the underlying tasks may not necessarily be easy. His realization that he is brilliant, came through seeing that achieving your goal is simple if you stick to instructions applicable to that environment – you won’t get frustrated, confused, resistant or anxious when learning something new.
If you feel frustrated, confused, resistant or anxious about learning something new, especially a new skill, then you are not quite like my friend and may need some support in clearing some of these thorny challenges, that are unique to you – the person that supports you doesn’t necessarily have to have the expertise that you are trying to acquire, but may be able to guide you through probing questions that are constructive and progressive.
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