What works will depend on your destination. You may work hard on a path that may end up going nowhere. That's okay. Reduce the risk by talking to people who know the way, read a lot, and try stuff out. You won't fail for long.

Moreover, you may know the path, but ignore it and instead apply half efforts with the hope of reaching the same result. This attitude creates self-deception and will not self-correct.

The hard way is about effectiveness and effort.

Effectiveness is the part to be most careful about. Walking the hard way can often be done slowly and patiently. However, the fake path will go nowhere.

If a pursuit has a deadline or steep costs, going slowly won't do...