We recently had to fire a dental assistant in one of our offices. Her skills were exceptional, we loved her personality and approach with people and so many things about her!

So WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD WE FIRE HER??

Well, she was chronically late and very unreliable! Our company had made it far too easy for her to show up late and to call infrequently at the last minute for a variety of reasons!

Finally, after many warnings, we just had to let her go!

She had worked with us for almost three years and in those three years, she was tardy a number of times each and every month. As a company, we had a lot of excuses and reasons for keeping her-we were rooting for her to do well because of those exceptional skills and personality! But in the end, we made it too easy for her to not be punctual.

She did not have to obey a rule that every other employee was expected to follow and in the end, it cost her her job. When we finally let her go, she was not upset or angry. She simply said in her exit interview: “I don’t even know why you guys kept me this long.”

She knew we had been too easy on her! Unfortunately, she had taken advantage of that ease and by so doing could never really reach the potential that all of those positive attributes would have allowed her to become!

It was unfortunate for us as a company but more so for her for not being able to see that because of her ease she had halted in her progression in our company and as a person.

So let’s talk for a moment about this idea of EASE! If it can be so detrimental to our progression why do we always look for ways to make things “easier”?!

Ease can be wonderful!

Ease is a temporary rest stop, not a pathway the Lord wants us to travel. Ease can provide respite or serve as a momentary reward, ease was never meant to be a way of life.

Ease can change the course and direction of lives and lead to a loss of principles and power.

I have seen ease and idleness lead to sin and iniquity, to boredom and trouble, and to addictive and corrosive habits.

I have seen ease and comfort lead to complacency and contentment, and, ultimately, to prolonged unhappiness, and the destruction of lives and families.

So, then, what is ease?

Ease is:

• relaxing standards.
• diminishing values.
• losing powerful habits.
• sacrificing gospel doctrines and principles.
• ignoring principles of industry, including hard work, service, diligence, determination, and sacrifice.
• an attempt to modify the plan of salvation or the law of the harvest. Ease is
• a desire to never allow suffering, struggle, restraint, or diligence, endurance or failure to touch our lives or the lives of our loved ones.

Ease is what many aspire to and work toward, only to find it is an empty vault with no reward.

Ease always stifles progress and growth.

We are here to progress and not being able to be so disappointing. Just like my previous employee, it can halt our progression both temporally and spiritually. Just like when parents see their children not living up to their full potential-our Father in Heaven wants to see us become everything good he sees in us and that just won’t happen if we live in a world of ease!

My book, Because of Ease, is meant as a reminder that hard things are blessings, that industry promotes purpose, that personal growth through sustained effort begets happiness, and that the law of the harvest still prevails.

Most of all, this book is a reminder to never forget Nephi’s warning:

“Therefore, wo be unto him that is at ease in Zion!” (2 Nephi 28:24).