Best Deal On Good Character: Make The Effort

Everybody wants a deal. Everyone is looking for the next big thing. So much time and energy is spent looking for Discount Deals, half price deals, going out of business deals, Online Deals, Computer Deals and yard sale deals. People want to get the most for their money so much so that they often spend it on things they don’t need because it was a good deal. It is the human condition to look for the easy way. People want to get a bargain or something that is worth more then it costs. It is a way of thinking that creates a living pattern where the focus is on easy acquisition. If that becomes the goal, many of the important aspects of living are compromised. Character is formed by environment, values, role models and consequences of actions. There are no bargains on developing character. There are no short cuts to developing a quality inner life. There are only detours.

Many people will spend a great deal of time and energy looking for the easy way to get something done. In a large view of the world this can be seen in something as simple as getting leaves off the sidewalk. Sweeping leaves up off a side walk demands physical effort and a broom. In an effort to make it effortless, someone invented the leaf blower. Clearing leaves became simple, just point the blower and push the leaves where desired. Consider that the leaf blower is a more complex machine then a stick with a straw end. Creating the leaf blower required research, components, manufacturing, and energy supplied by resources. Natural resources require extraction, transporting, refining, shipping to a distribution location, acquisition by the end user who has to expend some resources picking up the gas can and bringing it home. Many people had to assist to blow those leaves into a pile. On top of that, the homeowner gets no exercise sweeping up leaves so he has to run off to the gym to stay in shape. What a deal.

In personal growth the same concepts apply. Often in an effort to minimize pain or hard inner work, people will spend time and energy taking the easy path, not realizing the full cost of their decisions. Everyone knows a person that demands respect but is not willing to make the effort to respect others. Who hasn’t heard the stories about people that will do nearly anything for love unless it means learning to love themselves? How many people turn to drugs or alcohol to numb the pain of their life only to discover it would have been much easier to just face the initial pain head on? There are no good deals on character without truly wrestling with ones character.

Creating a good character can be a difficult job, but like most things, increased attention leads to increased accomplishment. If the goal is to be an honest person, then being honest has to happen all the time, not just when it is easy. Character, like everything important, requires awareness and perseverance.

There are great deals to be had in the world. But if you want to create a reflection in the mirror you can be proud of, then know taking the time and effort up front is the short cut and the best deal.