This is probably one of the earliest "big" lessons we learn.

When something seems too good to be true, it usually is. Handouts don't happen. Free things aren't really free. As one of my mentors would say, "If you tell me quick and easy, I think long and difficult."

The reason a path looks "easy" is because it hides its difficulties in plain sight. And you choose the easy road because you did not take the time to really understand what it was you were looking at. Sometimes we do this by accident; sometimes we do it on purpose (despite all the red flags we may or may not want to acknowledge). But regardless, the lesson is one we all have to learn time and time again — the "easy" road is rarely easy.

In fact, it usually ends up being more difficult than if you had just done things the right way from the beginning