What if there was one, simple criteria to use that would enable you to make the best decision every time?
We’re all faced with massive complexity and thousands of decisions in a single day — at work, at home, in life.
It can feel overwhelming.
But, the band The Fray solved it all for us in their song All at Once.
The hardest thing and the right thing are the same.
Yep, that’s it.
- Don’t know whether to finish a work assignment on a Saturday or play LEGOs with your son? (The hardest thing and the right thing are the same). BTW – I believe the hardest thing is playing LEGOs and saving the work assignment for after your son has gone to bed. They both need to be done, and the easy way out is to justify doing it at a regular hour, but there are other options.
- Don’t know whether you should hash out a contentious conversation today or next week? (The hardest thing and the right thing are the same).
- Don’t know whether to give someone feedback or trust they’ll figure it out themselves? (The hardest thing and the right thing are the same).
See?
It works.
This no-fail compass also works when evaluating your day. Do the hardest thing (aka the right thing) first and save the easier stuff for later.
Unfortunately, humans tend to choose the easy path because it’s more comfortable.
However, it’s not getting us where we need to go.
Where we need to go is towards courage, refinement, strength. ‘Easy’ doesn’t lead there. The ‘hardest thing’ leads there.
What are you facing this week?
Say it with me. “The hardest thing and the right thing are the same.”
Now you know what you ‘should’ do.
Will you?