Food, Comfort, and Taxes

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Why should we push toward discomfort when our environments encourage the opposite? Comfort has become our default setting.

On every corner, a fast-food joint offers us a hot, convenient, and delicious meal. With the tap of a credit card, we can avoid cooking and fill our stomachs with empty calories. Although the food tastes good, it lacks nutritional value.

Our phones offer countless hours of entertainment without pressing a button. Flashing our faces before the screen unlocks a world we don’t have to think about to create. Like fast food, we are fed images with ease.

Combine screen time with food from our favorite restaurant, and we can convince ourselves we have the necessary ingredients to live a good life. They would like us to believe some version of that misguided truth.

Let’s reconsider how to resist complacency. It’s not something we like to think about, but uncovering greatness rarely involves doing less work. We wouldn’t know the names of James Baldwin, Lebron James, or even Rick James if they didn’t have teachers and an impetus to improve.

Reaching and exceeding potential requires stretching ourselves to do passionate and purposeful tasks we don’t always enjoy. In Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy’s book, 10x is Easier Than 2x: How World-class Entrepreneurs Achieve More by Doing Less, they suggest that amplifying engagement in specific activities and minimalizing others produces success.

The autonomy to create a schedule that allows us to focus on our most important tasks is a strategy and privilege. If we can allocate one day to hold meetings or dedicate the afternoons to email messages, the quality of our contributions and productivity will increase.  

What if the life we desire has more difficulties than we imagine? It may require daily striving to enhance skills and rare moments of ease. Clarity of our goals, discipline, and faith can enable us to manage it all.

Internalizing this awareness is easier to write than implement.

For the most part, I live a regimented life. I frequently conquer exercising, eating healthy meals, prioritizing family time, and meeting writing goals. However, organizing finances to file taxes early is one area where I struggle with procrastination.

The deadline to file US taxes is April 15. W2s, investment statements, 1099s, and every form required for taxes arrive by mail and online by February 1, but I ignore them until mid-March. I’ve used financial software tools to help with organization, but I still find the process overwhelming.

An AI-generated collection of tax documents

I get it done because fines and imprisonment are serious consequences, but the process frustrates me. After analyzing how I spend, invest, and save money, feelings of regret often surface. I often wish for more resources to invest and save.

I forced myself to submit the necessary documents to my accountant before uploading this blog post.

We must resist the application of discipline to select activities. It must encompass all aspects of living.  

Remember, fast food tastes good for the moment, but the salt and sugar from overconsumption lead to long-term health consequences.

Nutrition plays a vital role in our ability to sustain thriving lifestyles. When everything in the kitchen encourages comfort, consider the pros and cons.

We can enjoy life and benefit from our achievements. However, it’s also crucial to make additional sacrifices and explore options that cause us discomfort.

Difficulties are signals to improve ourselves, our families, and our communities. Resist the urge to get warm in this cold political climate and use the anti-diversity movement as fuel for our life’s missions.  

The success we desire in uplifting God, honoring ancestors, and encouraging new generations depends on our willingness to push beyond boundaries.   

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