Complexity vs Difficulty

It’s not complicated, it’s just difficult.

The phrase has sat at the front of my mind throughout my fitness journey. This is true for most of us on any journey that involves discipline. The problem is that we often complicate what’s just difficult, and we quit (or never start) all together.

Let’s take a look at the definition of the two and show you how the blurring of the lines leads towards out downfall.

Difficult: (dif·​fi·​cult) hard to do, make, or carry out

Complicated: (com·​pli·​cat·​ed) consisting of parts intricately combined OR difficult to analyze, understand, or explain

The difficulty of a task comes from within. It come from our own ability to do that thing. Complexity comes from the outside. It’s entirely dependent on the thing itself. When we bring complexity into the fold, we’re bringing in an external challenge that we may or may not be able to tackle. Difficulty comes from within, though. You’re ability to tackle an issue from a difficulty point of view comes from your ability.

That may not seems encouraging, but here’s what I’ve learned when we’re finally able to stop making things complicated and accept that they’re just difficult: Yes you can. I believe people are capable of doing incredibly difficult things, especially when they have a community in their corner pushing them to do it.

Who’s in your corner reminding you that you can? If you don’t have that community, now’s the time to stop making it complicated. Sign into a class this week, and let us worry about the details. Yes you can, you got this.