and you sweep it under the rug and pretend like everything’ s fine. Least resistance means“ resistance is your enemy.” You have concluded that anything that doesn’ t feel good isn’ t good. Accountability, healthy conflict, endurance, responsibility, and discipline are all no-gos. They are a bad deal for you. They stress you out and don’ t give you momentary happiness. They trigger your anxiety. They mess with your personal image. The path of least resistance sucks for those on it because the conflicts they desperately try to avoid seem to weasel their way in and get worse and worse.
If you are on this path, the best thing you can do is recognize it. Then, as much as possible, stop blaming everyone else and stay planted where you are. Don’ t move from church to church when they find out you are not quite the saint you’ ve tried to project. Stay. Don’ t quit your job because your boss is tired of your
excuses. Stay and start taking responsibility. Work hard around people who know your tendency to be lazy. Humble yourself and get counseling. Be around people who challenge and encourage you. Take off the mask, and let people know who you really are. The path of least resistance is a weak, lazy path for guys who only like when people think they are better than they really are, and if that’ s where you have lived, it’ s time to change course.
If you keep going down the path of least resistance, you are only lying to yourself. How long can that last? You are telling yourself that it’ s easier and it’ s not. You are telling yourself you will have less conflict by not facing situations, and that’ s not how life works. The more you ignore problems, the bigger they get. It’ s like feeding a baby gorilla— eventually it turns into a thousand- pound terror. You can move to a different location and find new people, but the old saying rings true:
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