The Price of Authenticity: Why Men Must Stop Taking Shortcuts to Success

How choosing the hard path over shortcuts leads to lasting fulfillment and God's purpose for your life

Every man faces a fundamental choice that will determine the trajectory of his entire life: Will he choose the shortcut or pay the full price?

In this powerful episode of The Impossible Life Podcast, hosts Garrett Unclebach and Nick Surface tackle one of the most pervasive temptations facing modern men—the desire to take shortcuts instead of walking the authentic path God has laid out. Their message is both challenging and liberating: when you shop by price instead of choosing the right things, you will always choose poorly.

The $50 Billion Fitness Failure: A Warning Sign

The numbers don't lie, and they paint a disturbing picture of what happens when we prioritize shortcuts over authentic change. Americans spend over $50 billion annually on health and fitness—$22.4 billion on gym memberships alone and another $28.5 billion on wellness products. Yet despite this massive investment, the average American is now fatter than the average pig.

As Garrett shares from recent statistics: "The average pig is between 15 and 25% body fat. The average male body fat is now over 28% and the average female body fat is now over 40%."

This isn't about lacking knowledge or resources—it's about choosing temporary fixes over lifestyle transformation. The fitness industry thrives on selling shortcuts: "Lose 30 pounds in 30 days!" But lasting change requires what Garrett calls the shift from "diet to lifestyle."

"Instead of saying, what does my diet sheet say, look at every decision in your life and say, what would a fit person do?" This fundamental question separates those who achieve lasting transformation from those who remain trapped in cycles of temporary fixes.

The Adam and Eve Blueprint: Why We Crave Shortcuts

The desire for shortcuts isn't a modern invention—it's literally built into human nature. Since Adam and Eve chose the apparent shortcut to knowledge over obedience, humans have been trading long-term blessing for short-term satisfaction.

"What died wasn't their physical bodies immediately," Nick explains, "but their ability to know God truly in spirit." The consequence? We inherited both mortality and the temptation to fast-forward through time to get what we want without paying the proper price.

This pattern shows up everywhere: Instagram promises to make you "an author in 30 days" or help you "quit your job in 40 days." But as Garrett warns: "You maybe accomplish a specific task, but you haven't changed that much in that amount of time."

Shopping by Price vs. Choosing the Right Things

The core distinction that separates successful men from those who struggle is how they approach decision-making. Most men ask price-led questions: "What's the cheapest, fastest, easiest way to get what I want?"

This approach works for buying cars or choosing restaurants, but it's devastating when applied to your life's purpose.

"The path that God has for you, the destiny he has before you, it's a massive price. And so if you're shopping by the price, you will choose poorly," Garrett explains. "If you shop for vehicles by the lowest price, you will get a poor quality vehicle. And if you select for the destiny of your life by shopping for the lowest price, you will select for a very poor destiny that you will end up with regret on."

The right question isn't "What's the easiest path?" but rather "How do I choose the right things?" When you select the right path, you don't get to negotiate the price—but you can trust that the process will prepare you to sustain the vision when you reach it.

Six Areas Where Men Take Dangerous Shortcuts

1. Porn Over Intimacy

The most obvious shortcut many men take is substituting pornography for genuine intimacy. It offers immediate gratification without the "price" of building a real relationship—serving your spouse, being disciplined with your own desires, and investing daily in emotional connection. But as Nick points out: "Making love starts in the morning"—meaning true intimacy requires all-day investment in your spouse's well-being.

2. Explanation Over Awe

In our relationship with God, we often prefer having everything figured out rather than living in the mystery of faith. We want transaction-based certainty: "If I do X, God will do Y." But authentic faith requires what the Bible calls "fear of the Lord"—a willingness to say, "I don't know, but I know the one who does."

3. Preaching Over Knowing God

Many men consume endless sermons, podcasts, and Christian content while neglecting personal Bible study and prayer. It's easier to listen to someone else's revelation than to seek God yourself and develop your own testimony. But as Garrett notes from his weekly speaking preparation: "Every Saturday morning, Lord, when I speak, let them hear you and not me."

4. Career Over Identity

Using your job title as your identity is like building a house on sand. When you get fired, promoted, or change careers, who are you? Authentic identity comes from understanding what you believe—your core convictions that remain constant regardless of circumstances. "If you know what you believe, you know who you are," Garrett explains.

5. Fame Over Credibility

Social media has made it easier than ever to pursue fame without building credibility. You can buy followers, hack algorithms, and manufacture viral moments. But fame without substance is hollow. "People want the fame of being a Navy SEAL. The credibility comes from who I became in the process of going through that and what that now allows me to do."

6. Money Over Mastery

The wealthiest, most successful people focus on developing mastery, not accumulating money. As Garrett explains: "I don't fear not having money, because I've developed myself to a place where having no money is not scary to me. You can put me anywhere with zero resources, and I know I can develop from there." Money without the ability to create it again becomes a source of fear, not freedom.

The Process Prepares You for the Vision

Here's the truth most men don't want to hear: the purpose of process is to prepare you so that when you get to the vision, you can sustain it. Consider this sobering statistic: 70% of lottery winners go broke within three to five years. They received the vision without the process, and it became a curse rather than a blessing.

When you're in the difficult middle of pursuing your calling—when you're doing the right things but not seeing results, when you've been at it so long you're starting to question how much longer—you're exactly where God wants you. You're becoming the kind of person who can handle what He wants to give you.

As Nick shares about their podcast journey: "God is putting in men the desire to rise up and be strong and be who he's made them to be again. And we believe that we're here to help." They could pursue shortcuts to rapid growth, but they're committed to the process of developing their message rather than just building an audience.

The Right Question Changes Everything

Instead of asking "What's the lowest price I could pay?" start asking "What would I pay any price to accomplish?" This shift transforms everything.

"You have to choose a path that you can say, I'm willing to pay—I don't even know if I can actually do this, but I would give all that I have for this and be willing to pay any price to accomplish this," Garrett explains. "Otherwise you're going to choose a path where you're estimating two things that you can't fully estimate: what is the cost of this path, and how tough and capable am I?"

When you choose something you'd pay any price for, every setback becomes growth instead of grounds for quitting.

Your Impossible Life Awaits

The path of authenticity over shortcuts isn't easier, but it's the only path that leads to lasting fulfillment and fruitfulness. When you stop shopping by price and start choosing the right things, when you embrace the process instead of seeking shortcuts, you position yourself to live "exceedingly abundantly above all you can ask, think or imagine, just like God promised."

The question isn't whether you're strong enough or whether you fully understand the price. The question is whether you're willing to choose the right path and trust God with the outcome.

Ready to stop taking shortcuts and start building something authentic? Connect with The Impossible Life Podcast at theimpossible.life and follow @theimpossiblelife on Instagram for more insights on living the life God designed for you.

Remember: if something's never been done before, it just means it's unexplored. If they tell you it's too hard, it's just waiting to be simplified. The solution to any impossible task starts with this question: "If I had to, what would it take?"

This article is based on Episode 232 of The Impossible Life Podcast. For the complete conversation and additional insights, listen to the full episode wherever you get your podcasts.