In Others’ Words: Don’t Take the Shortcut

Do you like shortcuts?

I admit, I’m not a fan of them. I know they’re supposed to make life easier … get us where we want to be faster. But inevitably when I take a shortcut, I end up lost. Wondering why I didn’t follow the normal directions and just deal with the it’s-going-to-take-me-longer-to-get-there route.

Sometimes we just have to do it — whatever “it” is we’re trying to achieve. All of it. No shortcuts. No fast tracks. No quick fixes. No instant successes. Just do the work, learn the lessons — the easy ones and the hard ones. We have to succeed and yes, fail, just like everybody else does. Do not pass go — because that’s a shortcut.

Do you want to be a writer? Learn the rules — and yes, there are rules that will help you be a good writer — and then go ahead and break them. (But only if breaking the rules helps you write a better story).
Do you want to be an artist? Don’t skip over the basic elements of color and form and whatever else it takes to paint and sketch and design before you decide what your style is. (

And then play around with color and form all you want!)
Do you want to be a speaker? Talk to others you respect and find out how they became such inspiring speakers. Don’t just walk up on stage, grab the mike, and open your mouth and say what you have to say. (Because no one would do that, right? But some people come close.)

We should never confuse forging a new path with a shortcut. Those are two very different things. Forging a new path involves being brave enough to go our own way — without making excuses or shirking responsibilities or shrinking back from hard work. Taking shortcuts can be all about choosing the easy way out — and missing the wisdom from much-needed lessons learned along the way.

In Your Words: What do you think about taking shortcuts in life? Can they lead us anywhere worthwhile?

In Others\’ Words: Don\’t Take the Shortcut http://wp.me/p63waO-2ji #InOthersWords #quotes #noshortcuts

Click To Tweet

\”There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.\” http://wp.me/p63waO-2ji #quotes #BeverlySills #noshortcuts

Click To Tweet