Inconvenience: Just What I Need
Sometimes, inconvenience is a pain in the arse and sometimes, it’s exactly what we need.
Sometimes, the thing that frustrates us, infuriates us and wrenches us out of our comfortable little nest, is the very thing that causes us to grow. To learn. To adapt. To gain new insight. To explore new possibilities. To develop valuable skills. To become a new-and-improved version of us.
How ironic that our ever-increasing hunger for all-things-convenient may well be the thing that brings a grinding halt to our personal growth. The thing that puts a lid on our potential. The thing that keeps us trapped in mediocrity. And the thing that stops us from facing and overcoming our fears.
Not so long ago, life was inconvenient. Very. Nonetheless, people survived.
Convenience Sells
If there’s one thing we new(ish) millennium folk love, it’s convenience. Don’t believe me? Then take a peek at the overwhelming supply of convenience-based products and services. Convenience sells. We love easy. We love fast. And we love comfortable.
Could you imagine trying to sell something that inconvenienced people? Even if the benefits of that inconvenience were guaranteed? Why do you think the majority of people don’t follow though with their exercise program? It’s inconvenient, that’s why. And why are more and more people opting for surgical weight-loss when diet and exercise can produce better results with far less risk?
You know the answer.
Sometimes I wonder what effect all this efficiency, speed, ease, comfort and convenience will have on us as a collective of people over the long term. How will it affect our development? Our inner strength? Our ability to deal with real adversity and problems? How can we become amazing, powerful, adaptable and resilient beings when our default setting is locked on easy?
Personally, I’m happy to have an inconvenient life.
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{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
So true!
Sometimes a step out of the small box of convenience and into the not so comfortable zone is the exact reason we grow. Strength training is a classic physiological view on that- increase the weight/reps/sets and get uncomfortable during the session for growth and hopefully an increase in strength and perhaps slightly less uncomfortable in the next session. That is if you dont want to continue to improve
Ask yourself the easy questions and have a hard life- ask yourself the hard questions and have an easy (er!/ish) life!
Me too….totally happy!
Well Mr Harper, is it time for you to start growing the ‘veggie and herb’ patch in the Zen Den? Is has many benefits…….and perhaps 1 chic for fresh eggs…..
xxx
I can relate to everything you’ve said here. It’s true we crave for convenience but I’ve found I grow the most and learn the most about myself when I’m in fact inconvenienced. You can’t be the best version of yourself if you continually choose convenient, safe and easy options.
I set up my life to avoid inconvenience as much as possible. I hate being inconvenienced and will not tolerate it as it is not necessary.
I plan my day to include exercise and all of the matters that are important to me. I have my clothes ready at work, I drive to the correct train station for the purpose of my different needs, I have the correct food ready when needed, I have training gear at work to go to the pool or the gym. I charge my devices so that they are ready. There is no inconvenience as everything is there and I have no excuses. Why bother with inconveniences when you can have everything prepared so it is convenient? By the way, 3 weeks ago I did an iron distance triathlon that went perfectly to plan for me and my family. No inconveniences required.
Travelling is one of the best ways I know to deal with inconvenience. Waiting for hours at airports, living/mixing with the locals, visiting ‘non tourist areas’ and going without for whatever reason, invariably cause inconvenience. We obviously need to experience one to appreciate the other.
Amen to that!
Hi Craig,
I have a friend who belongs to a volunteer charity group and she is president or leader, whatever, she complains all the time about having meetings, conferences, fundraisers the list goes on and on, she complains that she never has time to her self but if she were to quit what would she do, Now as far as convienience she says that for her SIZE and age! she is healthy? Is it because she has a pill for this condition and a potion for something else and an ointment for another? The convenience of being able to get medications to aliviate symptoms from self neglect is a big money earner for big corporations, when in fact the real cure or minimisation is to address lifestyle, time for self and exercise,
inconvenience [ˌɪnkənˈviːnjəns -ˈviːnɪəns]
n
1. the state or quality of being inconvenient
2. something inconvenient; a hindrance, trouble, or difficulty
vb
(tr) to cause inconvenience to; trouble or harass
From a different angle to the laziness of society and its need for quick response…quick fix….
Inconvenience as a roadblock to growth.
Why do I have trouble standing up for myself when my values are tested, time is demanded, an opportunity is presented or in fact doing anything under the premise that it may inconvenience others? I feel like I am programmed to think about how my actions impact on others but so much so that it prevents me from asking for help with anything! and then when I do I feel silly following up and asking for the help….
The juxtaposition is I know what to do when I am directing others but often have trouble directing myself….how convenient??
Inconvenience you say? Well, it seems you like them simply because they direct you to what you really want. People do see what they don’t want and direct themselves toward what they want. That’s creativity.
But the consequence of having everything convenient is that it does make us lazy or worse, brain dead to what we really want to achieve. You’re right on it here Craig. It’s like drinking contaminated water from a tap because you’re thirsty.
Once I step outside of sticking to a time-scale, inconvenience magically becomes less of a problem. This isn’t always helpful though, because it can mean getting nothing done. So I try to strike a balance where I make use of my time in ways that make sense to me, and at the same time, remain calm when (as often happens) things don’t turn out to be straightforward.
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