If there are no tears, blood, or sweat, your effort is worth nothing. That’s the idea everyone keeps trying to hammer into our heads.
If a result comes easily, on its own, it raises suspicion. What, you didn’t even suffer? Aha, got it. Lazy. A trickster. A fraud.
As if each of us now must compete in the Olympics, living by its motto: Citius, altius, fortius (Faster. Higher. Stronger).
It's a lie. Twisted logic. Swapped meanings.
The Olympics are training raised to the absolute. The most prepared athletes are placed inside artificial limits so their skill can be tested and sharpened.
In real life, things work differently. Sometimes completely differently. A firefighter or a water rescuer trains strength, endurance, and speed not for records or medals. Training serves another purpose.
Ask a professional what he prefers: an epic struggle with obstacles, or getting the job done without breaking a sweat? In the spirit of TRIZ, his answer would sound like this: “The ideal effort is when there is no effort, yet the function is fulfilled.”
Caesar's way fits him better:
Veni, vidi, vici. (Came, saw, conquered). Prep's for that.
Artificial limits that fuel competition are a curse for any creator. Both the artist and the entrepreneur are glad when a creative result is born without excess effort. The ROI is higher.
The takeaway: let the desired result arrive shamelessly, on its own. It’s worth years of hard work for that kind of ease.
Sincerely yours,
-Alexander
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