That's Too Easy | Accountability, Fear, and the Work That Actually Matters | Jared Roach, The Brand Architect

​As a coach, I spend a lot of time with people who are already "at the top." My clients are often highly esteemed leaders, people with multiple degrees, and pillars of their communities. They don’t come to me because they don’t know how to work—they come to me because they want to break through to the next level.

​But in our consultations, I notice a recurring pattern. We start with a vast, beautiful dream. I’m right there with them, nodding like a battle rapper’s hype man: “Yes! Let’s get it! I love that!”

​Then, the second meeting happens. We start putting meat on the bones of the plan. We look at the actual work required. And suddenly, the tone shifts.

​“That sounds harder than I thought,” they say. “Maybe we should just go with the easiest way.”

​Here is the truth I have to tell my clients, and it’s the truth I have to tell myself: The "easy" solution is almost always rooted in fear.

​Simple is a Goal; Easy is a Trap

​We often confuse these two words, but they couldn't be more different.

​Simple is refined. Simple is taking a 10-page business plan and whittling it down until you can explain your entire life’s work in one powerful sentence. Simple is hard. Simple takes years of toiling to remove the clutter.

​Easy is an escape. We choose "easy" because if we go for the big thing—the hard thing—there’s a chance we might fail. There’s a chance we’ll be rejected. If we stick to what is right at our fingertips, we don't have to worry about falling.

The View from the Cliff

​I’ve been there. I have ideas that are completely fleshed out, sitting on a shelf because I was afraid of what would happen if I put them out.

​It’s like standing at the edge of a cliff. My wings are prepared. My eyes are fixed on the horizon. But that "What if I fall?" thought is enough to keep me from ever attempting to fly.

​The people we look up to—the billionaires, the icons, the pioneers—aren't people who weren't afraid. They are just the people who jumped. They jumped, and then they jumped again.

​The High Cost of Comfort

​At the end of your life, or even just at the end of this season, do you want to look back and say: "I didn't get what I desired because I didn't want to sweat. I didn't want to be uncomfortable. So I went for easy."?

​If you’re okay with coasting, that’s your choice. No shade. But if you have a burning desire—the kind of idea that keeps you up at night—then "easy" is your enemy.

​Your New Compass

​If you were sitting across the desk from me today and you told me, "This plan seems a little hard," my response would be: "Good. That’s exactly why we’re doing it."

​When the plan feels a little impossible, that’s usually a sign that you’re on the right track. Greatness requires the struggle. It requires the fight.

​Don't settle for easy. You were built for the jump.

​What’s Next?

• ​The "One Sentence" Challenge: Can you describe your business or your mission in just one sentence? If not, it’s time to start refining.

• ​The "Fear" Audit: Look at your current projects. Which ones are you doing because they are the "easy" route, and which ones are you avoiding because they are "hard"?