A belief in a concept can dramatically influence pretty much every aspect of your life. And there’s a particular concept that is summed up in one four-letter word that is the ultimate success killer. It’s mostly an unconscious label we apply way too easily, and too frequently that ultimately stops us from attempting to even try certain things in life.

So what is this four-letter word that can stop us all from achieving massive success? H. A. R. D.

The belief that things are too hard is a sub-conscious mind fixation – and one of my goals is to illuminate what the unconscious mind is and get some control over it. This includes becoming aware of the limiting beliefs we bank below the level of conscious awareness.

Most of these limiting beliefs we categorize as ‘hard’ we have not logically inspected or addressed them, it’s almost in-built into our unconsciousness. Yet it is absolutely essential to become aware of these, and by doing so we are uprooting the belief that something is too hard. It sounds easy (another four letter word!) but some of these things we’ve labeled as hard are a little more fundamental, therefore there’s a whole bunch of other stuff that will be ripped out and addressed as well.

One of the most powerful changes you can make to help pave your way to greater success is being able to discover something within your own thinking, an uninspected belief and have it brought to light. Your life will dramatically changed as a result.

So let’s address this four-letter word: HARD. We all grasp the idea of hard vs. easy, we label it in every aspect of life. I believe the concept of hard vs. easy is a false concept. We orient a lot of our thinking and decision-making around this false concept. It is absolutely a success killer.

Something is hard because we don’t know how to do it. When we don’t know how to do something, learning to do it takes lots of energy, thought activity and repetition than we think it should. And once we label it as hard, then we avoid it. I believe it’s a false concept because as you learn how to do anything, it becomes easier. Sure it’s hard at the beginning, but interest creates aptitude, so instead of dismissing something and putting it in the too hard basket, persevere. Keep going. And as you flex those muscles, and re-label your limiting belief, you won’t find it so hard any more.

One thing I’ve ultimately overcome by challenging my own hard labels is being limited by my personality. Approaching things that are outside of our personalities can easily be dismissed as hard – whether you’re outgoing, introverted or athletic. I always re-ask myself – is hard a true concept? Is this hard? Why do I think this is hard? All it comes down to is I’ve yet to learn this.

I find writing and proofreading hard. They do not come naturally to me. But when I attempt it, my mind is not on the words. It’s on the story of how difficult this is instead of the actual task. When I break it down, I know how to do this – spelling, editing, and grammar. So is it really hard to get in there and make the adjustments? Am I getting better at it? Yes, therefore I can improve, and yet my next thought is – oh but it’s so hard!

Is it really? Looking at these words on this page, comfortably seated. This is so hard? I’ve done some serious manual labor and not had this mental challenge of labeling it as hard.

If I just stop looking at the concept that this is hard, and fully put my attention on what I’m doing, then I’m actually using a lot of effort. There’s no habit formed, so it takes a little bit of discipline and persistence to move forward. But I can do it, and when I stop buying into the hard story, I became excited with the process, which I have never experienced with that task before. So this is a great example of how wrapping your head around a concept like this, taking on something with different frame of mind can bring around a different outcome.

Once I stopped believing in these limiting beliefs and started taking action, there really is no hard or easy. Just what I want to learn and how much time and energy I want to invest in it. Then I can gain new skill sets and get over this hard vs. easy stuff. I literally feel like I’m more alive, conscious, awake and in a better mood as a result.

Every category of life is somewhat effected by this concept of hard. So don’t limit yourself, or your success by buying into it. Investigate your own limiting beliefs around what you find difficult, and challenge them. I guarantee you the rewards are worth it.

Shane Krider