We all have our own unique ways of dealing with the world - of taking in information, processing it, and acting on it. And at some level we are aware of our natural tendencies. Thus, for example, I will bet that you will not have too much trouble answering the following questions:

• Do you like to focus on the "big picture" or are you a "detail person"?
• Do you like to get things done early or wait until the last minute?
• What gets you motivated to do something?

Yet interestingly enough, rather than embracing and leveraging our natural tendencies many of us struggle against them - trying to make ourselves do things in ways that only cause us frustration and pain. Well the following is something I want you to consider. Most of the time taking the path of least resistance - allowing yourself to do things in the way that is most natural to you - is the best and most enjoyable way to proceed.

Here are four simple steps you can take to explore and embrace your own personal "Path of Least Resistance."

Step 1. Ask yourself, "What is my way?"

In order to be able to take full advantage of your unique way of doing things you must first understand what "your way" is. But it can seem an overwhelming task to sit down and try to define everything that makes up "your way" - to think through all of the things that you consider to be your strengths and weaknesses, how you like to process information, how you approach problems, how you get motivated to do things, etc. So here is a very simple and practical way to start. Simply ask yourself, "Where am I currently finding myself struggling to make something happen that just isn't happening?" That is where you want to focus. Think about the situation in which you feel stuck and ask yourself two questions:

• What do I think I "should" be doing here?
• What do I usually do in this kind of situation?

The answer to the first question will reveal your value judgment about what you think is the "right" way of doing things. The answer to the second question will define "your way" in the situation. Much of the time when you are feeling stuck it is because there is a disconnect between what you naturally want to do and what you think that you should do. In your head and in your heart you have rejected "your way" - the path of least resistance - in favor of your vision of some "better way." So the second step to a more effortless and enjoyable life is to re-examine whether "your way" might actually work.

Step 2: Ask yourself: Is "my way" truly harmful or just different?

Over the years of living and experiencing we come to know something about who we are and how we operate, and we sort our traits and tendencies into the "good" pile and the "bad" pile. Once something lands in our "bad" pile, even if it is a huge part of who we are, we struggle against it. We prevent ourselves from taking actions that allow expression of these "bad" parts of us. But now is the time to drop the value judgments (i.e., "good" and "bad") and re-examine your natural tendencies in light of the following question: "Is my natural way of doing things really harmful (to me or to others) or just different?" Here is a real-life example to illustrate the power of this question.

Joe was in business for himself and was trying to sell training programs. Joe was struggling to develop new training materials for his programs but never could seem to get anything finished. He labeled himself a "procrastinator" and beat himself up because he believed that he "should" be able to create a schedule for his training material development and then make it happen. But he couldn't. He felt frustrated and stuck.

So I asked Joe, "When ARE you able to get things done?" His answer, "When I have a commitment to others I never let them down. If I have an appointment with a customer or potential customer I always come prepared." Bottom line - it was part of Joe's "natural way of doing things" to always keep commitments to others. It was not part of his natural way of doing things to keep commitments to himself. At some level Joe knew this about himself, but instead of trying to leverage this knowledge to find a way to get himself motivated to do what he needed to do, he got stuck in labeling himself as "bad". Over and over he told himself, "I should be able to keep commitments to myself. I should be able to create a development plan, set deadlines for myself, and make myself meet my deadlines." Maybe in an ideal world Joe would be able to do these things, but in fact this was not how Joe operated.

With a few simple questions Joe was able to free himself from struggling against his natural way of doing things. I asked him, "Knowing that you are easily motivated by commitments you make to others, would it work for you if you set appointments to meet with potential customers that would require you to show up with certain materials already developed? Would that motivate you to get the materials developed in a timely manner? Would leveraging your natural way of doing things really be harmful or just different?" The light went on in Joe's head. With an enthusiastic "Yes!" he agreed that the approach of making commitments to others in order to motivate himself to produce would work well for him. He could schedule appointments with potential customers for dates that would support the development deadlines he wanted to achieve, and he could feel confident that he would meet the deadlines.

Step 3: Approach each new situation from the perspective: How can I leverage how I work best?

As you approach each new personal or professional challenge in your life, always make it a priority to identify and explore your personal "path of least resistance." Here is another real life example that will illustrate the point.

Joanne had spent 15 years as VP of Information Technology for a non-profit health care organization. She was ready to explore possibilities for a new career. Her intuition told her that she wanted to continue doing something that involved computers, but she did not know whether she wanted to stay in the same industry, or whether she wanted to work in the corporate environment or explore self employment. Also, she was not clear exactly what type of job or title she was looking for.

Her first thought was, "I should decide exactly what I want to do first, and then start looking at the job postings to see what is available." The problem with this approach was that she had no idea where to start. She was trapped by what she thought she should be doing - and consequently found herself unable to move forward.

As her Coach I new that Joanne had a particular natural way of doing things. Her natural pattern in most tasks was to "gather data" first and then, at the last minute, put it together and make sense of it. She had a strong underlying belief that making a decision "too early" would close out alternatives that might be of interest.

She was the kind of person who naturally did things at the last minute - who pulled "all nighters" before her exams when she was in school, and who prepared work presentations the night before they were due. Yet somehow it never occurred to her to apply her natural approach of "first exploring and data gathering and then synthesizing and finalizing" in her career search. When we talked about the possibility of her following her path of least resistance in her job search, suddenly she was able to move forward with enthusiasm. She gave herself permission to simply gather data for two weeks without any pressure to come to a conclusion about what he wanted to do. Her data gathering included searching the web for job titles and job descriptions that resonated with her, talking to people about jobs that they enjoyed, sharing what she considered to be her strengths, talents, and abilities with friends and colleagues and asking if they had ideas about what careers might leverage those capabilities, etc. She was in her element - "researching" was something she knew how to do and enjoyed doing. Consolidating, synthesizing, and "making sense" of it all were things that could happen only after her head was full of the thoughts and ideas that would support her final analytical processing. This was her path of least resistance and it worked well for her.

Step 4: Learn how to choose and create environments that support your natural tendencies

It stands to reason that you will do better and find life easier and more pleasant in environments where your natural tendencies are supported. Thus for example, if you are a "big picture" thinker you will likely not be comfortable or effective in environments that require attention to detail. If you are an indirect communicator, you may be "punished" in an environment where direct communication is rewarded. If you have an entrepreneurial spirit and a strong desire for autonomy you will feel suffocated in an environment of micromanagement. Once you know what your natural tendencies are, then finding or creating environments that allow and encourage these will reduce the personal friction and create the flow that comes with following a path of least resistance.

Taking the Path Of Least Resistance is not a "cop out"
For some strange reason most of us end up socialized to accept the concept that "doing something worthwhile or valuable must be difficult." We are suspicious of things that come too easily. But this assumption only creates unnecessary frustration and struggle. Taking the path of least resistance can often be the best and smartest thing you can do. The reason is that at its core the concept of "taking the path of least resistance" really means following the course that is most in line with who you are and how you operate, and seeking out environments that will allow you to express and leverage your natural tendencies.

What is your point of view? Please post your thoughts on the discussion board.

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