The nature of all innovation is to enable people to do things faster, easier, and more convenient. Humans are by nature lazy. That’s not good or bad it’s just the way we are. Given the choice to do something the easy way or the hard way, it’s human nature to do it the easiest way. There are times however when this natural tendency works against your best interest. The fact that most people will take the easy route can also work in your favor, provided you don’t.

Here’s what I mean. Most people will take the short-term gain of avoiding the risk of trying something new and, by default, endure the long-term pain of underachieving in their life. Rather than risk the potential of failure they would rather not try in the first place.

A doctor endures over a decade of pain in attending medical school and interning in order to enjoy the long-term gain of a lifetime of prestige and wealth. A person endures the short-term pain of regular exercise and eating smart for the long-term gain of looking and feeling great. You can endure the short-term pain of saving money and paying off debt in order to enjoy the long-term gain of being financially secure in retirement.

The common strategy among 95% of the population is short-term gain for long-term pain. They stop trying after high school or college and accept their place in the rat race. This is self-doubt in action on a large scale.

Four important examples of short-term gain for long-term pain are:

Other people use money to build security for their families or a foundation for the poor. Money doesn’t care one way or the other. People who understand money save at least 10% of their income and invest it so it grows over time. They stay out of debt and pay their credit cards off monthly. People who understand interest collect it. Those who don’t, pay it. The short-term gain of buying something you don’t need results in the long-term pain of reaching retirement age and being dead or dead broke.