Chapter 13 — Decide Whether You Want Life to Be Easier or More Meaningful

“The choice is not between difficulty and ease; it is between meaningful difficulty and meaningless difficulty.” — James Hollis

God, this one lands hard.

Because right now, I am tired.
I’m lonely.
And the temptation to want something easier is real.

Easier relationships.
Easier paths.
Easier answers.

But the truth is — I’ve already lived the easy way.
The one where I said yes when I meant no.
The one where I hid my pain to keep the peace.
The one where I betrayed myself to avoid being alone.

That wasn’t ease. That was erosion.

So now I’m choosing something else:
Meaningful difficulty.

• The difficulty of sitting with my own emotions rather than outsourcing them.
• The difficulty of rebuilding a life from scratch — on my own terms.
• The difficulty of walking away from what’s familiar, even when it still pulls.

It hurts. But at least it’s mine.

This chapter reminds me that ease is a false god.
And that the soul doesn’t ask for comfort — it asks for truth, depth, and meaning.

And maybe that’s why it’s so hard right now.
Because I’m doing the work that actually matters.

Reflection Prompt:
Where in my life am I still chasing ease?
And what would it look like to choose meaningful difficulty instead?