Effort vs expertise

I’m just back from the trip of a lifetime, skiing in France.
3 years ago this type of holiday would not have been possible for us.
I count my blessings every day.
It was truly a fairy-tale place.
Cosy cabins, epic mountain scapes, misty godrays split through hazy treelines stretched across jagged whitecapped peaks stretching off impossibly tall into soft pink skies at sunset.
Everywhere Skiers slalomed their way gracefully down the slopes…

I was not one of these elegant figures.
It turns out “easy” routes in the Alps are equivalent of “difficult” in the UK and I haven’t skied in 15 years. 😅
Nevertheless, after about a day of faceplants and cartwheels, and impressive pirouettes, I found my ski legs and mustered what might even be called grace.

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After the first day my legs were jelly!
I was expending all my effort trying to stop. to slow down my mass,
and I bludgeoned my way down the slope, mostly on my ass, sometimes on my face.

Whereas the experts spent a fraction of the effort, they simply leaned in, turned their ankles just a few degrees to redirect their angle down the slope….
flawless elegance and speed!

Not only did they spend a fraction of the energy but they got to the destination more quickly.

Plus they didn’t look like a fool.

Its the classic scalpel vs the sledgehammer.

the sniper instead of the shotgun

Just another example of how a tiny bit of effort applied the right way,
has a much bigger impact than brute force and effort.

Where else can we apply this principle in your life and business?

Where can we apply expertise instead of brute force?

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Nicholas Robb

Founder, Design Hero
Author of Life by Design

More tips on stoicism for solopreneurs...

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