So many of us spend so much time searching for the easy path to success. We want there to be a magic pill that will make all our dreams come true without all the effort.

When I reflect back on my life, I realize that I spent far too much time searching for this path that doesn’t exist.

I thought that if success didn’t come easily, then it just wasn’t meant to be and that it must not be God’s will for my life–because surely if it was meant to be, then God would remove any obstacles from my path.

I remember avoiding hard things when I was younger because I didn’t want to be pushed. I thought avoiding hard things would create an easy life. But instead, the opposite happened. Taking the easy road made things harder…

I wish there had been someone to tell me that it’s not supposed to be easy–that challenges are meant to test your perseverance and resilience and develop character.

I wish there had been someone to encourage me to embrace the hard things and to warn me of the pitfalls and deception of the “easy” path.

Don’t waste your time searching for the easy path. Just embrace the hard things because despite what that little voice in your head is telling you–you CAN do hard things.

The life you’re searching for is actually found along the hard path. Push yourself to go beyond what you think your limits are. I promise you can do more than you think. The lid you think is there actually doesn’t exist.

Spend any time researching successful people and you won’t find anyone who didn’t experience major challenges and setbacks along the way. You’ll realize there is no such thing as an overnight success–those who finally get their chance to shine spent years working in the dark where no one saw them.

So whether you’re wanting to lose weight and get fit, develop better relationships, win more at work or in your business, what are the hard things you’ve been avoiding?

Make the conscious decision to embrace the hard things. That’ll be the only way to accomplish your goals.