Nothing in life is hard. Hard is meaningless

Dropping the word was a subtle change, but unbelievably powerful.

I’ve decided the word “hard” when applied to tasks, goals, and so on is always a cop-out. It’s verbal shorthand that lets people dodge the real issues at hand and is the cause of miscommunication. I have forced myself to drop it from my speech entirely.

Sometimes we’re just uncertain or uncomfortable

Sometimes we use the word “hard” to really mean “an uncertain amount of effort, but lots, and I don’t know if it would work”. The problem is that the person hearing the word doesn’t know how much effort, how uncertain the result is, or why. When I hear this am I hearing a real problem or just a lack of confidence in the speaker? Am I even talking to the right person?

I can do it. I think. What are we talking about again?

The effort to value is terrible

Sometimes “hard” is meant to signal that the effort it takes to achieve something is too high for the value it provides. But rather than just say something is hard, it’s clear that a discussion around effort and value is necessary. Is there a shortcut? Is the value really bad? How are we…