Why You Should Shun The Quick Fix

Everyone loves a quick fix and it’s great, up to a point. When it comes to opening your fridge and realizing it’s empty, it’s comforting to know someone thought of opening 24 hour grocery stores (thank you). It’s even better when you’re pulling an all-nighter and you can walk across the street to grab a coffee at all hours of the day or night.

Yet, we’ve increasingly gravitated towards everything and anything that offers the promise of ease and instant gratification. You can earn a degree in week, start a company in an hour, get rich quick, or learn how to give a presentation in less than a minute, all at the click of a button or turn of a page.

The result has been a warped sense of what it takes in order to build something of substance and value. This has consequences because it can prevent you from doing the things you are truly passionate about.

If you were told from the very beginning that something would take 3 years instead of 3 days, would you still want to take it on? If the answer is no, chances are that you’re not that invested in the idea in the first place. What’s the kind of challenge you would be willing to spend years on?

Often we like to look at successful ideas, projects, and people and try and understand how they did what they did in order to replicate it in as short amount of time as possible. The only truly consistent and enduring commonality between them is dedication and relentless pursuit towards a goal. There’s no silver bullet or simple marketing gimmick behind it. When it comes to something as important as your career, steer clear of the quick fix.