A lot of stuff is difficult, right?
A lot of stuff makes your sphincter quiver and your pulse harden and your slightly tubby brow moisten when you think about it for too long.
And sometimes, nay often, this fiendishly delicate and difficult stuff is stuff you’d REALLY LIKE TO DO:
- Stop smoking dope before clocking in at work.
- Overcome your fear of raccoons to finally work as an urban zoo-keeper.
- Speak to girls.
- Speak to boys.
- Speak your mind.
- Run the New York marathon dressed in a culturally insensitive (but still quite fun) fancy dress outfit.
- Run for governor.
- Run your own business.
But don’t worry amigo! Here’s the SINGLE cure for making EVERYTHING easier. If you balk at the thought of swimming the Atlantic, or are convinced that speaking French or writing eloquently and without obfuscation are skills that belong to those mysterious “other people”, then this tip will SAVE YOUR LIFE:
The way to make something easier is to DO IT MORE.
Yes – practice. It’s how you get to Carnegie Hall. It’s how you get better at stuff. It’s how you become an expert.
Rather obvious, innit? And, dare I say it, you knew it already.
Brushing your teeth before you go to bed might be a Sysphean task at the moment, but once you’ve done it every night for a week, it will be easier to do it every night for a month, and for a year.
Complaining to the waiter that your truffle and broccoli consommé is tepid is tough if you’re the retiring type. But do it once a week and you’ll be a pro.
Even dealing with grief becomes easier with practice. Each day you do it, the burden lightens.
So start small, and regular – like baby bowel movements – and watch the change happen.
Or don’t. It’s your call.
