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"I'll run with you." The second those words came out of my mouth, I knew I was screwed. My dad's face lit up, and I realized there was no backing out of this one. Here's the situation: My dad turns 80 in ten days. When he hit 70, he celebrated by running a 10K. Now he wants to do it again, and somehow I just volunteered to be his running buddy.

Small problem—I haven't run consistently in over a decade. I've got three weeks to go from my couch to 6.2 miles at a pace that won't embarrass either of us. So, I'm looking at my options here.

Three Ways This Could Go

• Option 1: Actually train for this thing. Wake up at 6 a.m. Start with two miles. Add half a mile every other day. Build up my endurance and actually show up prepared. It's going to be work, but I'll probably feel pretty good about crossing that finish line.
• Option 2: Wing it and pray. Run once or twice, then rely on pure stubbornness and adrenaline to drag me through 6.2 miles. Might work, but I'll probably be hurting for days afterward—and for what?
• Option 3: Find an excuse. Let my dad run alone. Not happening.

I went with Option 1. And you know what? It's been tough getting up early and pushing myself, but it's also been kind of satisfying watching my stamina improve.

Here's What I've Been Thinking About

This whole thing got me thinking about how we approach hard stuff in general. Life's going to hand you challenges no matter what. But there's a big difference between the kind of effort that actually gets you somewhere and the kind that just doesn't.

Take staying healthy. You can put effort into working out regularly and eating well—and you get stronger, feel better, have more energy. Or you can skip all that and then put effort into dealing with health problems later—doctor visits, medications, feeling crappy. Both take energy. One makes your life better, the other just makes it harder.

Same thing with learning new skills. You can put effort into studying, practicing, getting better at something—and end up with abilities that serve you for years. Or you can skip the learning and put effort into figuring things out the hard way every single time.

Both require work. Only one actually builds something.

This Is Exactly How Trading Works

I see this pattern all the time with people getting into trading.

The building route: Study charts, read books about markets, watch educational content, practice with paper trading, learn to manage your emotions when trades don't go your way. Yes, it takes time and mental energy. But you're building real skills and knowledge.

The struggling route: Jump right into live trading, follow hot tips and gut feelings, watch your account bounce all over the place, learn expensive lessons with real money. This also takes energy—lots of it. But all you're really learning is what not to do, and you're paying through the nose for those lessons.

Both approaches require effort. But one leaves you with something valuable, and the other just leaves you tired and poorer.

The Question Worth Asking

So here's what it comes down to: Do you want to put your effort into building something, or just dealing with problems? Because either way, you're going to be working hard. The only real choice is whether that work makes you stronger or just more exhausted.

My Take

I'm doing those 6 a.m. runs because I want to cross that finish line with my dad feeling good about what we accomplished together. The alternative—showing up unprepared and struggling through it—takes just as much energy, but doesn't give me anything worth having.

Your trading account? Same deal. You can put effort into getting better at this, or you can put effort into cleaning up messes. But you're going to put in effort either way. Might as well choose the kind that actually pays you back.

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