Everybody wants a deal. Everyone is looking for the a bargain. So much time and energy is spent looking for Discount Deals, half price deals, going out of business deals, Online Deals, Computer Deals and yard sale deals. People are so eager to save money they often spend it on things they don’t need because it was a good deal. It is the human condition to look for the easy way. People want to get a bargain or something that is worth more then it costs. It is a way of thinking that creates a value system where the focus is on easy acquisition. If that becomes the goal, many of the important aspects of living begin to suffer. Who we are is formed by environment, values, role models and consequences of actions. There are no bargains on developing character. There are no short cuts to growing a quality inner life. Short cuts are only detours.

Many people will spend a great deal of resources looking for the easy way to get something done. In a large view of the world this can be illustrated in the action of getting leaves off the sidewalk. Sweeping leaves up off a side walk requires physical effort and a broom. In an effort to make it effortless, someone introduced a leaf blower. Clearing leaves became simple, just point the blower and push the leaves where desired. Consider that the leaf blower is a more complicated piece of equipment then a stick with a straw end. It required research, components, manufacturing, and the use of fossil fuels. Those resources, oil and gas, require extraction, transporting, refining, shipping to a distribution location, acquisition by the end user who has to expend some resources picking up the gas can and bringing it home. Many people had to assist to blow those leaves into a pile. Not to mention, the homeowner doesn’t get any real exercise sweeping up leaves so he has to run off to the gym to stay in shape. What a deal.

In personal development the same concepts apply. Often in an effort to minimize pain or hard inner work, people will spend time and energy taking the easy path, not realizing the full cost of their decisions. Everyone knows a person that demands respect but is not willing to offer respect to anyone else. Who hasn’t met a person that will do nearly anything for love except love themselves? Why are there so many folks that turn to drugs or alcohol to numb the pain of their life only to discover it would have been much easier to just face the initial pain head on? There are no bargains on character without truly wrestling with ones character.

Creating a good character can be hard work, but like most things, increased attention leads to increased accomplishment. If the goal is to be in integrity, then telling the truth has to happen all the time, not just when it is easy. Character, like everything important, requires attention and maintenance.

There are many bargain to be had in this life. But if you want to create a reflection in the mirror you can be proud of, doing the hard work is in fact the best deal and the shortest path.