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- Curse of convenience | 5-minute read
My local convenience store was robbed.
The community rallied and raised funds that helped the store get fixed up.
New shelves. New fridges (mostly now full of alcohol).
And now, the costs of “convenience” keep rising. It’s 50% more at the nearby corner store to buy the same product, which requires me to walk over a bridge and down the street.
🤔 What do we lose when we chase ease over effort?
I visited my brother and his family in their new house last week.
He’s a pool guy now. On top of cooking, cleaning, child-rearing, husbanding, and working, he’s finding it difficult to add on all the pool duties.
He wants to buy a robot vacuum to replace the slow, manual, mindful labour of dragging a long stick with a pointed vacuum through tens of thousands of litres of water.
All for a clean pool that lasts maybe an hour before leaves, fruit from trees, and other debris make it a mess again.
This week, I came across this quote from a cartoonist:
“What if laziness is just the habit of thinking about cost and effort—money or time—instead of imagining the outcome?”
Read that again. Slow-like.
What if I walked to the grocery store, across the bridge and down the street? Or the local brewery, another 400 metres away, instead of paying double for the same product. I’m supporting local businesses, getting exercise, and earning a few mindful minutes with my thoughts.
What if my brother didn’t think about the chore, but the BBQs, kids’ squeals, and the memories that make a backyard feel like summer. Clean pool, cold drinks, and togetherness.
Now we’re focusing on the outcomes. Mindful effort can unlock the slow release of dopamine, a powerful contributor to your happiness.
Sipping a coffee, not crushing it on a commute.
A real conversation in person, not just meme-swapping with friends.
A meandering walk, no phone, no headphones—just you and your thoughts.
Here’s another one:
A friend of mine—an avid reader (thanks, bud!)—is struggling to have a child. It’s a long process. I feel for them. I’ve been there. Countless tests. Unlimited forms. Forced intrusions.
And you’re left asking, “What’s wrong with you… Or is it me,…or is it us?”
All to maybe have a woman grow a chickpea…
To a grape…
To a pineapple…
To a watermelon…
That she pushes ~through incomprehensible pain~ and now holds a fragile extension of her soul.
Afterwards, with new, different types of pains (possibly long-term, not always physical)…
They do it again.
Despite what is often heard, mid-labour with a 2nd kid:
“If I remembered how bad this was, I wouldn’t do it again.”
They don’t think of the suffering. They think of the outcome.
Because if we all focused on the pain, the effort, humanity might not exist.
So, ask yourself:
Is your success tied to ambition or maybe it’s that dopamine hit of imagining what could be?
What challenge are you avoiding because you’re only seeing the effort?
We don’t buy features. We buy benefits. So, buy into your outcomes.
Both the grind (effort) and the glory (outcome) are figments of your imagination. Is it possible you’re overthinking this?
The pebble
The challenge
In middle school, I had to read Pygmalion — a book about a professor of linguistics who makes a bet that he can transform the language and etiquette of a Covent Garden flower girl and pass her off as a lady at an ambassador's ball.
I had no idea what it meant at the time, but in psychological circles, there’s what we call the Pygmalion effect (also known as the Rosenthal effect).
“When you expect great things to happen, you unconsciously act in ways that make them happen.”
Give yourself some delusional confidence and change your life.
Focus on the outcome, and your actions will follow because your beliefs shape your behaviour.
Thanks for reading. We’re honoured you’ve spent a bit of your day with us. If you’re feeling generous, why not forward this email to a friend?
