Pretend you’re a blade of grass, trying to push through the soil and enjoy everything the sun has to offer. The fragile bit of grass is beneath tons of soil and stone. It doesn't know if it is getting nearer to the surface and the sun, it only knows the direction it must keep pushing. Not until the instant it breaks through the cold soil into the light does it know the effort will be rewarded. A blade of grass, of course, doesn't suffer from the doubt and second thoughts that make our path seem harder as we get closer to our objective. In fact, so many times, when we are just about to succeed, and grow free in the light, is when we quit because the dirt is just too hard.