It's amazing how many products and services exist based on the premise of performing a task for us easier, faster, cheaper with less mess and hassle. Think about it. We see commercials and ads for faster oven cleaners, more convenient college educations, easier banking, quicker weight loss, get rich fast programs, sooner than later financial loans, more rapidly acting medications and self help schemes that promise relief in ten days or less. Everywhere you look today, people want a quick easy painless fix.

While some of these are excellent timesavers and should be utilized without a second thought, just because something promises to be faster and easier, doesn't make it better. Taking this route may completely be the wrong approach.

Plastic surgery is a good example. While there are very legitimate reasons for plastic surgery, many people unhappy with their lives seek to go through "makeovers" that will change everything and make them happy. Hogwash. Just because someone's appearance has changed doesn't change the underlying behaviors and emotions that lead them to be unhappy in the first place. Putting a brand new coat of paint on a car doesn't fix the problem under the hood. Really changing our lives takes time, effort and hard work. It's a process, not an overnight miracle.

Another example are the numerous universities offering diplomas in six short months over the internet. While distance learning can be wonderful, getting a diploma in six months is ridiculous. An education is a powerful experience designed to change someone's life through broadening their knowledge and understanding of the world. It takes hard work, dedication and effort to sincerely bring about this change. It is not accomplished in six months between Nintendo game sessions.

Too often, bigger, better, faster now means the real problem hasn't been addressed. There are times and places where quick easy fixes are the way to go- cleaning an oven, washing the car or putting in a garden. However, when the thing being changed is ourselves, there may not be as many options. To make lasting real change in ourselves is a process that requires commitment on our part and a willingness to accept the potential pain that will occur along the way. We fear this and seek out an easier way. By doing so, we short change ourselves. Whether we like it or not, the path to self improvement is a tough one, but it is often the only way to get where we want to be.

Have a great week!

Don

Dr. Don Kopf - a licensed psychologist working with individuals and organizations to help them grow, learn and change for the better.

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