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WHY ARE THE EASIEST THINGS IN LIFE SO DARN HARD TO DO? I’m Headmaster James Newcomb, and welcome to the official podcast of The Easy School of Hard Knocks. Doing the things you need to do to run a business, practicing your instrument, exercising first thing in the morning…isn’t exactly rocket surgery. What isn’t so easy is just doing it, especially when we’re the only ones watching — or so we think. We live in an era of instant gratification. Things that once took years to do – if they could be done at all – can now be done by clicking a few buttons. It’s no wonder that so many people start a business, and then flame out when they’re not a millionaire on Day 7! ‘Cuz it’s easy, but you definitely learn plenty of lessons at the School of Hard Knocks along the way. So, what is the point of The Easy School of Hard Knocks? Well, believe it or not there are a few people who have managed to succeed at this thing called entrepreneurship, be it online or offline. In most if not all of these cases, these folks have taken things that are easy to do (a podcast, a blog, an online learning platform, etc.) and have created a system that’s EASY TO OPERATE ONCE IMPLEMENTED CORRECTLY. The Easy School of Hard Knocks will teach you the nuts and bolts of succeeding as an entrepreneur. And you’ll hear practical advice – and more importantly from fellow travelers on the train – that will help you develop: • A success-oriented mindset • Healthy lifestyle habits • Relationship building And much, much more. To sum up, you’ll get the tools, the motivation, and the occasional tough love that it takes to be successful at whatever you choose to undertake. Class is in session, kids. Are you ready to learn? James Newcomb Founder and Headmaster The Easy School of Hard Knocks Hello, my name is James. I sell suffering. It’s probably the last thing that anyone would want to buy, but its value is priceless. Of course, you don’t buy suffering at Wal-Mart (although visiting Wal-Mart is its own brand of suffering.) Suffering just happens. Sometimes it’s your fault, sometimes it’s not your fault. Irregardless, your response to said suffering defines who you are as a person, an entrepreneur, a performer, what have you. When I say I’m selling suffering, what I mean is that I’m encouraging you to have the right response, a response that will move you forward toward your mission. This is easier said than done. You ask a room of 100 people if they respond positively to suffering, probably 97 hands will go up. The thing is it’s the 3 who didn’t raise their hand who have hope of dealing with suffering in a healthy way, for the simple reason that they’re honest about it. The 97? It could go either way. Perhaps one or two of them really have learned to respond to it in a healthy way, but I’d say the vast majority are delusional, telling themselves and others what they think is the “appropriate” response. Suffering DefinedSuffering. It sounds so…negative. When I hear the word, I have images of tears, hardship, being wronged, being hurt physically or emotionally. The word suffering can be used in more than one way. One of those ways is to “allow,” or “tolerate.” In the King James Version of the Bible, Jesus said, “Suffer the little children to come to me.” This was not negative at all. He was saying, “Allow them to come and sit next to me.” Being allowed to sit next to Jesus Christ. Depends on who you ask, but that doesn’t sound negative at all 🙂 Let’s use the word suffer in some familiar contexts, and replace it with the word “allow.” “Suffered the loss of a loved one.” “Allowed the loss of a loved one.” “Suffered an injury.” “Allowed an injury.” “I’ve suffered greatly since losing my job, primary client, etc.” “I’ve allowed greatly since losing my job, primary client, etc.” I’m not trying to suggest that suffering should somehow mean something it doesn’t. It always has and always will have a negative connotation. Using it in the context of “allowing” or “tolerating,” however, gives it an optimistic sense, for the reason that it’s not permanent. Well, death is permanent. You’re probably not getting that job back. And you can’t unbreak a bone. Tolerating, allowing these permanent things means you’ve accepted them. You’ve taken whatever blame you might bear and have made whatever restitution you can. You don’t blame others, pointing fingers at how others failed you, etc. At the end of the day, allowing these things that appear negative is empowering. You’re in control, not of the circumstances, but of your reaction to the circumstances. What do we really fear most of all? We don’t fear losing our job, our mom, our ability to walk. We fear the loss of control that comes as a result of these things. When you allow negative experiences in your life, you’re in control. Maybe not of the situation, but of your reaction to the situation. You’re not the hapless victim of circumstances; you accept your circumstances. Whether you’re at fault for them or not is irrelevant. This too shall pass.Whether good or bad, everything changes. The mark of maturity in my opinion is the person who doesn’t get stuck in the present, for the present soon enough becomes the past. As I said in my podcast about crystalizing beliefs (https://easyschoolofhardknocks.com/the-easy-school-of-hard-knocks/how-our-thoughts-actions-and-mindset-crystallize-into-habits-and-eventually-our-way-of-life) , your reaction to your circumstances, be it positive or negative, immediately slides toward good or bad thought patterns, and eventually hardness of heart. Something bad happened? This too shall pass. Something good happened? This too…

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