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Shortchanged

 selective focus photography of person's palm with two coins

It is easy to be critical of someone who is always talking about what they want to accomplish, but their speech never turns into action. They never execute their plan. But the other extreme poses problems as well. The temptation to move too quickly towards a goal poses many risks, but one key danger is the pressure to take shortcuts.

Ignoring the fact that many shortcuts won’t actually take you towards your desired destination (although the path may deceptively appear to do so at the outset), possibly the biggest problem with shortcuts is that they cheat you out of the growth along the journey. It is easy to be so focused on the target, on the desired goal, that you forget it’s the process and the path that prepare you for the very outcome you’ve been working towards.

Far too often we see individuals who take shortcuts and miraculously, or by sheer dumb luck, achieve their goal, only to have it blow up in their face because they weren’t ready to handle the responsibility of achievement. Maybe it’s wealth, or prestige, or position, or influence or myriad things people strive for in life, this truth still holds: if you aren’t prepared for the responsibility, the very thing you are chasing can destroy you.

Shortcuts often mislead. But even worse, they stunt your personal growth and development. Shortcuts leave you shortchanged.


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