Every one of us has a Big Goal. But we lost the ability to follow them. Because someone else usually creates goals for us. And attaches to it the worst possible adjective: EASY. Every Big Goal worth dedicating your life and energy for, is DIFFICULT. It is like the 20th mile of a Marathon, when you are dead tired, but the finish line is nowhere in sight. Difficult is an advantage because if you overcome your 20th mile, you become unique in a comfortable world.

1. The Advantage
of Difficult
Being Unique in a Comfortable World
Lorenzo Paoli

2. You have surely heard about this
motivational motto:
“A journey of a thousand miles starts
with a single step.”
True. Very reassuring, too.

3. But useless.
We like it because it tells us: just start, the
biggest challenge is behind you.

4. I know: changing is difficult and
making that first step means
getting out of your comfort zone.

5. But, actually, first steps are all
around us.
• The diet we start every three months…
which always fails in front of that delicious
cake…
• Quitting smoking… this time for real…
• Starting to do some sport… once again….
• Starting our business… but then, not really
• Looking for a new job… but then staying
where we are.

6. The first step is a good start. But
it’s easy.
The important step is the last one.
Actually, the most important is the step
on the 800th Km of your journey. Because
it is when the slope becomes steep.
And you are dead tired.

7. Do you know when most people
quit during a marathon?
Not at the beginning,
they are still rested. Not
at the 25th mile, because
soon the race is over…
but around the
20th mile. Because
they are exhausted, but
the end is still far away.
Image
courtesy
of
Sura
Nualpradid
–
freedigitalphotos.net

8. Each of us has a Big Goal.
A life project.
Our own battle.
And each one of us has his/her own
20th mile.
How will you face yours?

9. The problem is, we are not used to
designing Big Goals.
They design them for us and they always
have a very dangerous adjective.
Let’s get an easy example:
Losing weight.
Do you know how many
diets the average 45-year-
old woman has tried in her
life?
Image
courtesy
of
sa9va
–
freedigitalphotos.net

10. 61
h9p://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/ar?cle-­‐2117445/Women-­‐tried-­‐61-­‐diets-­‐age-­‐45-­‐constant-­‐ba9le-­‐stay-­‐slim.html

11. Do you know why they fail? Look
carefully.
Diet fails because a goal is
attached to the worst
adjective there is for a Big
Goal: EASY.

12. Everyone knows the most effective diet.
Eat healthy, not much fat and
sugar.
Do sport three times a week.
No alcohol.
But almost nobody wants to follow
it. Because it requires SACRIFICES.

13. Often we are not looking for a goal,
but a Shortcut.
It never works. And we are not the
only ones.
Because EVERYBODY chooses the
easy road.
So, many people with unique talents, become
all alike.

14. H
Have you ever noticed that if there is an escalator next
to the stairs, the escalator is full while the stairs are
empty?
We are programmed to choose the path of least
resistance.
For Big Goals, though, SHORTCUTS lead to failure.
Image
courtesy
of:
TeddyBear[Picnic]
–
freedigitalphotos.net

15. Shortcuts are easy = without effort.
We like them. But they lead
nowhere.

16. An athlete does not look for shortcuts
before a competition. On the contrary:
she knows that the more she trains, the
better are her chances to win.
Reaching that Big Goal in your heart is difficult.
But it’s simple (i.e. not complicated).
Like all Big Goals.

17. Image
courtesy
of:
Naypong–
freedigitalphotos.net
Soccer is like a Big Goal.
It’s simple.
1. There’s a ball.
2. And there’s a goal net.
3. You need to put the ball
into the net.
4. Don’t use your hands.
You don’t need to be a
genius.
But scoring is VERY
difficult.
Eliminate the EASY way,
choose the difficult, but
simple. You will never be
wrong.

18. Many dream of becoming writers.
It’s a Big Goal.
And it’s simple.
Wake
up
at
5
am
every
morning.
Write,
improve
your
wri?ng
skills,
and
write
some
more.
Read
an
awful
lot.
Look
for
a
job
in
the
wri?ng
sector
–
publishing
house,
proof
reader,
translator,
blogger.
When
you
earn
enough,
leave
your
day
job.
In
the
meanwhile
write
write
write
and
never
stop
improving.
Accept
the
100
rejec?ons
from
publishing
houses
and
con?nue
wri?ng.
Publish
your
first
book
that
sells
1,000
copies
and
makes
you
earn
$
1,000.
Go
on
for
5-­‐10
years.
Simple. Who’s up for it?

19. It’s not a secret. It’s the story of many
writers that publish bestsellers today. It’s
simple. But also freakin’ hard.
The expectation of many would-be
writers is this:
I
WRITE
A
BOOK.

20. And sooner or later you will meet your
20th mile. The moment in which it will be
so difficult, you will want to give up.
That will be the moment that will make
the difference in your life. Choose well.
In reality, for almost every Big Goal, the
path is already there. You just need to
follow it. But the path is a steep climb.

21. Difficult is an advantage… because it
makes you unique.
Because once you overcome your 20th
mile, others will have to do the same to
keep up. And that’s not gonna be easy.

22. If you are unique, everybody wants you.
You do not need to fight the price war
and give discounts. You do not need to
constantly make cold calls.
You do not need to send CVs.
Others will call you.

23. You make your own path.
It’s the best way to live an authentic life.
Which means, creating your own
problems.
Image
courtesy
of:
Chaiwat
–
freedigitalphotos.net

24. Choose your path.
Face your 20th mile
with courage and
determination.
Look straight, chin up,
no complaining.

25. Image
courtesy
of:
artur84–
freedigitalphotos
Easy is the endless wait of a life that will
never happen.
Difficult is the road towards
what we are.

26. Have a great journey.
And enjoy your 20th mile.