Easy. Only Minutes a Day.

Thigh Master“Risk requires bleeding for our dreams.” Dan Allender, PhD My daughter, Carley, was relaxing and watching a favorite show when I overheard it. The advertisement for a revolutionary new fitness product made its post new year debut. The zealous voice-over used descriptors like, “easy…only minutes a day…fun…amazing results.” This marketing strategy is timeless. Ever since Suzanne Somers showed us how to simultaneously smile, watch television, and sculpt our thighs, Americans have had a love affair with the illusion of infomercial promises. I’m wondering what this quest for achieving amazing results with painless ease says about our culture.  

I’ve recently completed the book, A Million Miles In A Thousand Years, by Donald Miller. His writing prods us to live our own epic story rather than seeking an escape through a Hollywood version. Yet Miller makes no promises of ease, simplicity, or fun. Rather, he candidly reminds us of the high cost, sometimes excessive pain, of living a life of risk and adventure. This caused me to consider people I respect—those who have inspired me to accept the inherent risk of a story worth living.  

  • Chris and Kelly Avis were married in 1987. For the last twenty-six years they’ve raised five children who have not always followed the path prayed over them. They’ve built and lost businesses. They’ve worked harder than anyone I know to create and foster a close and committed marriage rarely found in today’s society.
  • LaDonna Martin was twenty-four when her husband, a North Carolina Highway Patrolman was killed in a high speed chase. As a grieving widow, she leveraged her career as a Registered Nurse and returned to school. After several highly focused years, she obtained her Bachelors of Science in Nursing, a Master’s of Science in Nursing, and completed a nurse-anesthesia program to become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist. She’s been a highly successful CRNA for over 20 years at a local trauma hospital.
  • Emily Howard left the security of her state job in the 1990’s to follow a hunch that she might be good at selling and teaching Dale Carnegie programs. Her ensuing passage might best be described as a hair raising high speed rollercoaster. In September 2012 she fulfilled a dream and became the Dale Carnegie franchise owner of Central & Eastern North Carolina.

None of these people would describe their journey as easy, fun, or taking merely minutes a day. Much of their story they never anticipated. They could look you in the eyes and explain the pain, sacrifice, loneliness, frustration, and difficulty they encountered. They would tell you that their achievements have required more hours than they’ll ever be able to calculate. They might also share that their journeys have changed them forever and the results have been truly amazing. They’d surely use descriptors like meaningful, priceless, and life altering. There’s an engaging and epic novel you’re destined to write for your life. Good-bye ease. Hello life changing challenges. Hollywood has nothing on you.

Leave your comments: Tell us about an accomplishment you’re particularly proud of and how the experience has helped shape you.