#81: The Avoidance: Why Smart, Capable People Put Off the Easy Things

Most of us think we’re high performers because we get things done.

We solve problems. We chase answers. We check the boxes.

But what if the thing holding you back isn’t the hard stuff?What if it’s the easy stuff you keep avoiding?

In this episode, Adam and Lon kick off 2026 with a candid, unfiltered conversation about avoidance, self-sabotage, and the surprising anxiety that shows up when you’re avoiding what should be the most energizing part of your life.

Lon shares a personal realization he hasn’t talked about publicly before: how avoiding the easy things, not the hard ones, created anxiety and capped his growth, even while everything looked “successful” on the outside. And why finally naming that pattern changed everything.

This conversation isn’t about productivity.It’s about self-work.The kind you can’t delegate.The kind that’s embarrassing to admit.The kind that unlocks what’s next.

IN THIS EPISODE:

--Why avoiding the easy things is often more dangerous than avoiding the hard ones

--The two types of avoidance and how to tell which one is costing you

--How self-awareness without acceptance becomes self-sabotage

--Why elite performers struggle to ask for help even when they need it most

--The four-step path: awareness → acknowledgment → acceptance → permission

--How avoidance quietly becomes the ceiling on your life and work

--How Lon now measures progress not by success, but by anxiety reductionKEY TAKEAWAYS:

->Avoidance is a limiter. Wherever you avoid, that’s your ceiling.

->If something is giving you anxiety, it’s asking to be addressed, not ignored.

->Self-work is internal work. Lists won’t fix what you’re avoiding.

->You don’t get to be two people. The strength and the struggle come together.

->Asking for help isn’t weakness - it’s leadership.

WHAT’S NEXT:

If this episode stirred something in you, that’s not an accident.

You’re probably avoiding something you already know you need to face.A conversation.A decision.A truth about yourself.

You don’t have to do it alone.

If you want to go deeper:

1. Join the Insider — a community built on “never alone”

2. Book a free Ramble

3. Read The Trade

4. Subscribe to The Inevitable

You can find it all here:  https://linktr.ee/lon.stroschein

Follow Adam Eaton here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-eaton-21646a4/

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