Someone recently asked me a thought-provoking question: “Do you believe that in order to have a successful business, it needs to be difficult?”

My immediate answer was yes. If building your business isn’t challenging you, you’re probably not pushing beyond your comfort zone. And your comfort zone equals stagnation. That stagnation is an illusion—it’s the subtle death of your potential.

The Resistance to New Tools

This sparked an interesting follow-up about people who find basic AI tools like Magai or ChatGPT “too tough” to use, or who reject them because they believe using AI somehow makes their work less authentic.

These are the same people who believe they must slave over an email for 20 minutes, a blog post for days, or an SOP for months. They reject the possibility that work can be done differently—and better—than before.

The Learning Curve Reality

Here’s my take: these folks are simply on the steep end of the learning curve.

Digging a hole is hard work. Two people can dig for gold with equal effort, but the one who took time to learn the landscape and determine where to dig will have dramatically better results.

The difference isn’t in the amount of effort—it’s in where that effort is directed.

When to Pivot

There’s also a point where self-awareness must guide your decision-making. Sometimes, a certain path may not be right for you—at least not now.

I’ve tried learning JavaScript three different times and simply couldn’t retain it. Rather than beating my head against the wall, I pivoted to learning other skills that would push me toward growth.

Finding Your Sweet Spot

The most successful business journeys contain both difficulty and wisdom:

• Difficulty pushes you beyond your capabilities
• Wisdom helps you direct your effort where it matters

The next time you face resistance in your business—whether it’s learning a new tool or developing a new skill—ask yourself: Am I avoiding this because it’s difficult, or because it’s not the right direction for me?

The answer to that question could be the difference between stagnation and breakthrough.

What’s challenging you in your business right now? Are you embracing the difficulty or avoiding it?