Let me tell you The Tale Of The Crossroads. It’s a story many of us have experienced. Few have been able to put it into words.
There once was a wise figure, a Rabbi named Yehoshua ben Hananiah. He was journeying to a town far away. To get directions, he approached a young boy.
Rabbi Yehoshua ben Hananiah asked the youth for directions. The youth’s answer seemed strange. The youth told the Rabbi:
This way is short but long, and this way is long but short.
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The Rabbi wasn’t deterred by the confusing message the youth gave. He began on the short but long path. Along the way, the Rabbi found the path blocked. There were gardens and orchards. All were blocking the path to the town he wanted to reach.
The short but long path was frustrating. There was trouble and detours. The Rabbi couldn’t make his way through it all.
In frustration, the Rabbi turned around to where he started. This time, he took the long but short path. This route was more direct. It got him to his destination without much trouble. He was able to continue on to the town without interruption.
Short But Long Or Long But Short
We’ve often got two choices in our organization. We can take what appears to be the short path. The short distance from point A to point B is seemingly short. You might even be able to envision the pathway.
However, when you begin to accomplish the task, you discover there’s a lot more to the shorter path than anticipated. You have to call in multiple outside contractors. There are unexpected hiccups as you need more knowledge or help. What appeared to be simple is much more complicated.
Then you consider the long but short path from point A to point B. There’s a lot of pre-planning involved. You have to take time to plot the course. But once you’ve plotted the course, you find the path to be virtually trouble-free. Things go smoothly. You’re able to get over the minor obstacles without much thought.
The short but long path caused nothing but trouble. The long but short path that appeared long turned out to be less time-consuming, less frustrating, and easier to handle.
Don’t take the short route just because it looks enticing or easy. You’re going to find yourself in trouble quickly and struggling to get through. At least consider the long path. You’ll soon come to the conclusion that the distance from point A to point B may be longer, but it’s a much quicker trip.
Which path do you tend to take? Do you find yourself taking the path that looks short but turns out to be long? Do you find yourself frustrated because it’s not the path you thought it was? Or do you go down the long but short path?
When we go after the easy, we often find ourselves going after the difficult. Don’t keep making the same mistake of choosing easy over effective.
