When God created man and put us in the Garden of Eden, we had it good. It was the most beautiful environment and the trees simply brought forth fruit in abundance and all Adam and Eve had to do was to tend them. They didn't have to work to get them to bear fruit, they just had to care for them so that they would continue to bring forth more and more fruit.

Today we can't even imagine what it would be like to just put forth a little effort, spend a little time pruning and trimming the trees so that they will be even more abundant. And the reason we can't imagine it is because life is a struggle for us. Whether we like it or not, the problem came as a result of man's sin. When Adam and Eve ate from the wrong tree, God pronounced His judgment on them, and the effects of that judgment have reverberated throughout man's history.

When someone dies we hear the familiar words: "Dust to dust" to remind us that we came from the ground and that is where we end up. It's part of the curse that we all live under every day of our lives. The rest of it is: "Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return." (Genesis 3:17-19)

So no matter how we might want things to be, the simple truth is that life is a struggle. Whatever we want to accomplish in our lives, whether it's a modest goal or the highest and most noble achievement that we can imagine, it will all take effort.

Have you ever tried to just relax and have a quiet day with no real agenda, nothing that you need to get done? And have you ever experienced on interruption after another? It seemed that your plans kept getting shoved aside because other things just kept coming up? And even if you could find some peace and quiet, you probably had a head full of things that you really should be doing. Your to-do list was nagging at you even if your body was stretched out on the couch.

I was preparing to speak at a Rotary Club meeting and I was talking with some of the men that were at my table. I mentioned that Jim Rohn talks about discovering that success was easy. The man that I was sitting with was quick to point out that success is NOT easy. It's a struggle that will take hard work and effort and you can never let up.

To some degree this gentleman was correct. There is work involved. Proverbs 27:23-24 tells us, "Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds; for riches do not endure forever, and a crown is not secure for all generations." There is no standing still in life. Even if all we hope to do is to maintain the status quo, even that will take effort on our part.

But the real question is: If I'm going to have to work anyway, why should I settle for less? If it's all going to be a struggle, then what difference would it make if I spend some extra time, put forth just a little bit more effort, and go for my dreams? Why accept a life that isn't fulfilling or satisfying simply because I believe that it will be too much work to have all that I desire?

It really doesn't make any sense to strive and end up unhappy, unhealthy, and broke when all we need to do is to redirect our energy toward what we want rather than what we don't want. By using our minds, asking different questions and looking for new answers, we can find ways to invest ourselves, our time, talents, and emotions in the things that will lead to creating a life that is happy, healthy, and abundant.

How about you? Have you been struggling to get by? Why not start looking for what you can change in your life so that you will be able to succeed instead of just survive?

The libraries are full of books, the Internet is overflowing with information, that can help anyone find the answers and make the changes. All you have to do is recognize that it doesn't take any more effort to win in life than it does to fail. If life requires you to work, it's definitely better to harvest something useful rather than thorns and thistles. Since you will have to struggle anyway, why not go for your dreams?