You can choose the easy way or the hard way. For almost everything.
Hard way: scratch gourmet cooking. Easy way: McDonald’s.
Hard way: engaged parenting. Easy way: parked in front of a screen.
Hard way: emotionally connected, active teaching. Easy way: checked out, robotic teaching.
Of course, every one of these has a range: you can find your own middle ground. But you can’t choose the hard way for everything, as much as it might seem valuable. You make choices towards an easier choice in one area so you have the mental, physical, or emotional energy to make the harder choice wherever you prioritize it.
A friend of mine, a whole-foods expert, shared that their family was doing school lunches for their kids three days a week this year. This was her choosing an easy way for those meals, so they could put their energy towards things they valued more highly.
Know that you can choose as many hard, noble options as you dare to. But know that they come with a price, and they will only be tenable if you balance them with easier to achieve choices in other areas.