It Was Easy
I remember back in college when some of my friends returned from the US armed forces basic training. They told very interesting stories. My favorite story is how at graduation they walked around telling each other, ‘It was easy!’ despite the fact that they cried almost every night for six months trying to cope with the rigorous mental and physical training. At graduation it was all over. The pain, the tears, and the effort were transformed in success. Everything they went through made them stronger or how they say it in the ARMY, it made them “ARMY strong” while others became “the few, the proud, the Marines”. All because they didn’t quit as many did. They decided to “aim high”… Well, enough of that. You get the message.
Social cognitive theory explains that people who persevere through challenges acquire a dependable source of efficacy expectations based on performance accomplishments. In other words, facing challenges provide a stronger sense of character allowing people to be prepared to face future obstacles. Without performance accomplishments efficacy expectation grow weaker and people become afraid to face challenges therefore they stop trying and become trapped by the status quo and mediocrity. Efficacy expectations can even transform failure (or what is conceived by some as failure) into corrective experiences which allow them to learn from the experience to try again until they succeed. The process is far from enjoyable but it pays off when it reaches its purpose.
No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
Hebrews 12:11
Some people quit before they begin. You are not one of them. Don’t quit! Whatever it is you have to face, be assured, you can overcome. You made it through other difficult situations in the past. You can do it again. Use what you learned and the strong character you developed to persevere. Don’t follow the societal pattern that teaches and promotes mediocrity to avoid pain and frustration and as result developing weaker and weaker individuals. A challenge might not seem easy now but you will look back and say, ‘It was easy!’.
Challenge Makes Us Stronger
Losers seek easy. Champions seek challenge. Challenge makes us stronger. Easy makes us weak. Seems simple but only a few people like the idea of fighting hard for what they want. Easy comes… well… easy. It is very unlikely for someone to develop muscles without doing the work. Gold needs fire to become pure and valuable. It is of little honor for me to fight someone bellow my level. I want to fight people from which I can learn my weaknesses. Winning is fun only if there is some competition.
My son’s basketball team was undefeated until the last game on Friday night. They played a very good team that was and remains undefeated. My son’s team looked like they were feeling very confident for this game. Not to mention that they didn’t practice that week. It didn’t matter because they defeated all the other teams by 20 points each time. My son spent most of the week playing video games and his guitar. Although he made 10 points in this game he was not happy because the team lost. The other team came out with all intention to win from the start while my son’s team are used to take it a little easier the first few minutes.
It was a close game most of it but after a few turnovers under pressure and a few unfair calls or no calls when they were needed the team was falling behind by the end. Frustration began to overcome the players. My son says that frustration is like a disease and it doesn’t matter what you tell yourself to get collected and focus it doesn’t go away and it begins spreading through each player. All you can do is learn from this experience and move on to the next. I’m sure it will be a different picture next time.
Challenge keeps us grounded and humble, but hungry to achieve, to prepare. Preparation gives us the confidence to know we are ready to play. Awareness makes us strong, alert, and fierce. It is no secret that overconfidence is the pathway to defeat, to fall, to no longer fight hard from the start for what you want. Overconfidence makes us feel that victory is given. It is going to be another walk in the park until we are surprised by a strong contender seeking to win and to fight hard for the victory no matter the wins of the past. It is a new game. The board is back to zero. It is time to play.