Norton: Stay hungry — even when the Easy Button beckons
We live in a world where “ask and ye shall receive” has been co-opted by Amazon, Uber Eats, and same-day shipping. The ancient call to persistence has been replaced with a prompt: “Buy now.” We can have food, clothing, furniture, and entertainment delivered faster than we used to be able to get a pizza. But in a world where instant gratification rules the day, are we quietly losing the hunger and thirst that used to drive us?
Think about it: for most of us, if we want something, within reason, we can get it within a few hours. Groceries? Same-day. A new book? On your Kindle in seconds. Need a workout plan? Thousands of influencers will stream one into your living room before your coffee brews.
And yet, when everything is easy, urgency tends to fade. Convenience creeps into our ambition. Where we once hungered for excellence, sweated, strained, and hustled, many now watch reels about working out more than they actually work out. We’ve replaced action with consumption, thirst with scrolling.
Call it the quieting of the hunter. At one time, most of us were hunters. We pursued dreams, chased goals, and took on challenges with the intensity of someone who knew there was no shortcut, no Easy Button. Today? We often settle for “good enough” because it’s more comfortable. We binge the podcast on success instead of mapping out a plan to pursue it ourselves.
This ease has dulled the edge that once drove us. It’s not that we don’t want more; we just don’t need to fight for it anymore. And when the struggle disappears, so often does the spark.
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There is an urgency that fuels passion. There’s a dangerous kind of complacency that hides behind comfort. It’s the kind that confuses manufactured urgency (“I need my package today”) with the deeper urgency that fuels our purpose and passion, the kind that gets us out of bed early and keeps us up late, chasing the best version of ourselves.
When we are truly hungry or thirsty, almost nothing can stand in our way. Real hunger doesn’t wait for conditions to be perfect. It pushes through excuses. Real thirst doesn’t stay on the couch; it gets up and moves toward something greater.
This isn’t just about business or fitness. It shows up in our relationships, too. Remember when you went the extra mile for someone you were falling in love with? When’s the last time you did that? Has it become easier to skip the date night, to say “we’re good” instead of doing the little things that used to light up your relationship?
Maybe there’s someone in your life who’s thirsty for your attention, your spouse, your child, your team at work, and you’ve stopped noticing. It’s not that you don’t care. It’s just that it’s easier not to act. And easier is the enemy of excellence.
When I coach sales leaders and teams, I often ask what separates the top 1% from the rest. The words that come up again and again are “hungry and thirsty.” Not the most experienced, not the best educated. Hungry. Thirsty. Driven. That kind of drive creates a comfortable lead between the top performer and their nearest competitor, and keeps it.
There is a deeper hunger still. And for many of us, there’s another hunger, the spiritual kind. A thirst that isn’t quenched by comfort, success, or material gain. “As the deer pants for the water, so my soul pants for You, my God.” That hunger and thirst for a deeper relationship with God is not about going through the motions; it’s about pursuit, passion, and presence.
Stay hungry. Stay thirsty. Not for the quick win or the same-day delivery. But for the things that truly matter, the goals that stretch you, the relationships that nourish you, and the faith that anchors you. In a world of ease, choose the pursuit. Choose the climb. Choose the passion that only hunger and thirst can bring.
Are you still hungry and thirsty, or has complacency and convenience overtaken your desires, goals, and dreams? I would love to hear your story at gotonorton@gmail.com, and when we can choose commitment over convenience, it really will be a better-than-good life.
Michael Norton is an author, a personal and professional coach, consultant, trainer, encourager, and motivator of individuals and businesses, working with organizations and associations across multiple industries.
