Running has been part of our family’s life for a long time. Between my husband, our kids, and coaching elementary cross country, I’ve had the opportunity to watch runners of all ages develop. One lesson seems to hold true.
If every run is comfortable, athletes won’t get much better. Improvement requires doing hard things from time to time. We sometimes have to remind our young runners of that during training. Every time they choose to embrace a difficult workout instead of coasting through it, they’re learning a lesson that has very little to do with running.
Over the years, I’ve also watched high school students walk away from activities they once enjoyed or showed real potential in. Before I go any further, let me be clear: I’m not talking about every student or every situation. Some choose to focus on another sport or activity they love. Others discover a different path that’s simply a better fit or find themselves in circumstances where stepping away is the right decision. That’s all great.
I’m talking about something different. I’m talking about those moments when an athlete isn’t burned out, overcommitted, or choosing another meaningful path. They’re simply facing the same decision all of us face from time to time. Staying home sounds more appealing. The workout doesn’t sound fun and practice feels like a lot of work. So they opt out.
For those students, it may not feel like a significant decision, but I think they’re choosing what’s easier in the moment without realizing what they may be giving up. Along with the activity itself come opportunities to build confidence, resilience, discipline, teamwork, friendships, and a sense of belonging.
The difficult part is that those opportunities don’t come back. High school has a way of moving on whether we’re ready or not, and as it turns out, so does life.
The habits we build early have a way of following us. Every time we choose the path of least resistance, it becomes just a little easier to choose it again. And I see this same pattern in organizations all the time too.
A manager settles for maintaining the status quo because changing course feels harder. An employee does just enough to meet expectations. A leader tells people what they want to hear because it’s easier than having the difficult conversation that needs to happen.
The problem is that the easier path rarely eliminates the cost. What feels easier today often creates bigger challenges tomorrow.
The manager may not realize they’ve trained their team not to trust that meaningful action will be taken. Over time, people stop bringing issues forward or begin working around the manager altogether. When that happens, trust and credibility erode.
The employee who consistently chooses the easier path may not realize the greatest cost is to themselves.
The leader who avoids the difficult conversation may feel like they’ve preserved harmony, when in reality they’ve only made it harder in the long run.
I’m not suggesting we should always choose the hardest path. That’s not the point. Just like running, there are times to recover and times to push. The key is making those decisions intentionally, not simply because one path feels easier in the moment. Because more often than not, the path of least resistance isn’t likely going to take us where we really want to go.