The only shortcut is to stop taking shortcuts.
In life, the shortest path often turns out to be the longest.
Last week, I embarked on a hiking adventure with a close friend, and as we set out, we made a pact to conquer the journey entirely on foot, from the base to the summit and back.
The trail conveniently intersected with a fast and easily accessible cable car, particularly attractive to the numerous tourists frequenting the mountain. The allure of taking the cable car instead of completing the hike on foot was a constant temptation.
The ascent went smoothly; we maintained a steady pace and even paused for a few minutes of meditation along the way.
However, as we descended and took a brief lunch break, the temptation to opt for the cable car became irresistible. Despite our initial commitment, we succumbed to the convenience and joined the queue to purchase tickets.
It was only when we were about to jump in that my friend noticed a map inside the cable car revealing that it would drop us miles away from our parked car, significantly prolonging our journey. In a last-minute decision, we escaped the cable car's clutches!
We had bought two non-refundable, pricey tickets, assuming they would “save” us a bunch of time. To our dismay, after waiting in line for almost 45 minutes at the information office, we discovered that refunds were not an option.
In the end, what did we do? We reverted to our original plan and followed the path we had initially committed to taking!
Lesson learned: there are no shortcuts in life. Attempting to outsmart the situation often complicates everything. Getting on the cable car would have added an extra two hours of walking under the hot sun. Staying the course would have saved us both money and time.
During our descent, we encountered a crossroads, offering the challenging path we knew and a seemingly easier alternative. Falling for the illusion of simplicity, we chose the easier-looking route once again, only to discover later that it was longer and more challenging. We had fallen into the same trap once more!
In life, the shortest path often turns out to be the longest.
With much love and respect,
Ash Lamb
P.S. The launch of my first YouTube video was a success! 103 subscribers in 3 days. Thank you so much for your support. It truly makes all the difference. :)
Great¡¡
Thank you very much.
So good Ash. I imagine even if you'd parked right next to the cable car and taken it both ways, you wouldn't have had the same experience anyway. Sure, you would have got to the summit but you wouldn't have walked to the summit.