Some people believe in shortcuts. For them, a shortcut is a way to save time and avoid hard work. Not only that, they also believe that the results they get through shortcuts are as good as perfect.

Do you also believe the same? While it may appear to you that you are saving time by taking a shortcut, but in reality, it wastes more time and create more problems than it solves.

Shortcuts Have Never Created Anything Worthwhile

Have you ever wondered why some songs are remembered even after 10 years, while others are short lived-you don’t remember them after even 3 months. There’s only one reason-results are like fruits, they take time to ripen.

The songs that are evergreen were worked upon with great efforts. Months have been spent on them -rehearsing, polishing, perfecting and therefore when you listen to any such song, it fills you with awe and wonder. It invokes the sense of beauty in you, it nourishes something in not just your mind but soul as well. You get enchanted.

Another example could be food. The food that nourishes your body is the one that takes time to cook. You need lots of ingredients. The process is often long and requires time. Sometimes you feel like giving up but once it is done and you taste the dish, you know it was worth the effort. Fast food is just the opposite. It takes just 2 minutes to prepare but have nothing to nourish your body. It has been produced by shortcut and things created by shortcuts are just not worthwhile.

Great Things Take Great Time

Sistine chapel ceiling painted by Michelangelo is a masterpiece. It took him years to complete it. Legendary composer Beethoven’s symphonies are another classic example. After listening to his concert, a lady approached him and said “The way you compose music is just unbelievable. I would give my life to be like you.” Beethoven replied “That’s what I did lady, I gave my life!”
If you too, plan to do something great, be ready to invest great time. That’s the only way to create great things.

Impatience Gives Birth to Frauds

Have you ever noticed that you are always in a hurry, and the funny part is, you don’t even know why? You are like a car driver, who is driving like a maniac, but don’t even know where is the destination.

We want instant gratification. Everything should be there in a moment. This impatience gives birth to frauds.

The law of demand and supply states ‘Where there’s a demand, there’s a supply’. You find so many people prying on you. They claim that they can help you get that perfect body, perfect mind, perfect suit or anything in just no time. You name it, they have it. All you have to do is to pay them money. You pay the money and get what you want, but, at what cost?

Take the example of bodybuilding. As any other valuable thing, it takes time – months, even years. And for those who can’t wait- there’s gray market, which promises you a perfect body in just a matter of months, even days. You spend money, take those magic pills, inject that wonder hormone in your veins and voila – you have the body others will die to get. Girls will be all after you, boys will envy you and you’ll be on top of the world – The power of shortcut.

After some time, you notice unexpected and unreasonable pain and other side effects in your body – The after effects of shortcut.

Success Takes Time

Success is not something you can achieve overnight. Most of the overnight successes are short lived and temporary.

There’s only one way to get long lasting and fulfilling success -keep working on yourself, keep polishing your skills, keep educating yourself. At times it may feel like a waste of time but in reality you are ‘investing’ it.

Shortcuts leads to things that are short-short on quality, short on grace, short on pleasure.

Some Examples of Shortcuts

You love drinking milk but hate to spend time getting the buffalo ready with the soft, caring touch of your hands. Don’t worry-The magic hormonal injection is at your service. It’s available in the gray market. Just inject it in buffalo’s body and she will be ready to get milked in just no time. This shortcut gets the milk instantly, and mind you, many unexplainable diseases too.

You are getting late for office or need to reach college as fast as you can. You skip the breakfast and grab a burger from that fast food corner. You are eating it in your car or bus. The burger has filled your stomach but you missed something – the pleasure and nutrition you would have gotten from ‘proper’ breakfast.

You don’t have time to get trousers stitched from local tailor.
You approach the famous clothing store where you can get branded clothes endorsed by some ‘so called celebrity’. You buy a pair of branded trousers. It looks good, feels awesome, but you missed the comfort that a customized pair of trouser can give. Remember the term ‘tailor made’? It stands for comfort and pleasure.

Why Do You Take Shortcuts?

Simply, because You want to accomplish everything that can be done. It’s not humanly possible.
When you try too hard to achieve everything, you become hard – hard on yourself, hard on people around you, hard on the world. You become restless and anxious. You live in a mirage. You start missing something profound – Pleasure!

Pleasure is what you have been gifted sense of touch, taste, smell and hearing for. You have come in this world to experience pleasure.

Focus on Quality

Focus on quality and not quantity. Pleasure comes from quality and not from quantity.

We have a term – ‘Quality of life’. Have you ever heard the term ‘Quantity of life’? No! It does not exist.

Do 2 things a day instead of 4 but do those 2 things with all your heart and soul. Take pleasure in doing whatever you do and you’ll be surprised to notice that you enjoyed the life for the first time. You’ll feel so good, so relaxed that it’ll appear like a dream. Relaxation produces pleasure and gives you a chance to live life.

Let’s take the example of motorbikes. They are fast and quick, they can go from 0-60 Kmph in as little as 10 seconds but going too fast makes you feel anxious and tense. Try this- get your bike, keep the speed around 40 Kmph, enjoy the sound of your bike, enjoy the slow pace and you’ll be surprised to see so many things around you. The things you’ll notice for the first time have been there since years but you were too fast to notice and admire them.

It happened with me. One day I decided to go office walking. I left home around 6 am. Walked slowly and was surprised to see that though it was the same road, there were so many things on my way that I haven’t noticed before. Beautiful trees, flowers, small tea shops, schools and so many things. I was filled with wonder and awe. Going slow helped me getting present for the world around me.

Enjoy every moment and gradually you’ll be able to experience a beautiful phenomenon that is rare nowadays – Pleasure.

Author's Bio: 

Avdhessh Arya is a personal development coach for youth, based in New Delhi, India.

He owns a blog where he writes to help young people deal with various problems in their lives, break the walls of self imposed limitations, and become a confident individual.

He also take workshops on meditation and self empowerment.

Avdhessh is an experienced voice actor too. He gives voice for various TV shows and movies on National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo Wild, UTV Action and Fox History channel. To learn more, please visit www.avdhessharya.com