The Path to Greatness
You simply cannot become great without putting in the work and making lots of personal sacrifices, some of which will come at great costs. You have to fall in love with doing hard things.
If you’ve ever felt that you are not good at the stuff you like, you are not alone. Infact, most people experience this feeling several times in their lifetime, some much more than others. But the good news is that you can actually become good (and even great) at that things you love.
There is no shortage of self-help materials on how to acquire skills and become great at whatever you’re passionate about. Whichever one you decide to pick up and read, there is one thing you can never run away from: hard work.
You simply cannot become great without putting in the work and making lots of personal sacrifices, some of which will come at great costs. I have never seen or know of anyone who has successfully achieved great things without putting in a lot of work over an incredible number of hours. Consistent, patient and deliberate hard work done over a relatively long period of time. Unless you decide to settle for a mediocre life, this is the price you have to pay for greatness.
Consistent, patient and deliberate hard work is not easy to achieve, especially when we live in a society that conditions us to pursue instant gratification. All too often you find people who want to become expert programmers after reading Python in 21 Days, or who want to have sculpted abs after one week at the gym. At work there are people who want to be promoted to a top position after just a couple of months. The instant gratification mentality is a great enemy of becoming successful at your chosen endeavor. It is important to quickly get rid of this mindset and become absolutely comfortable with doing very hard things. If you’re not feeling the pain, if the thought of quitting doesn’t occasionally cross your mind, then you’re probably not working hard enough.
I’m sure you have heard of the expression “work smart, not hard”. Of course you should work smart, but here’s the thing: there will always be the hard, difficult things you must do to become successful, no matter how smart you believe yourself to be. And you must be deliberate and consistent at doing those very difficult things. Get used to that fact. Accept it and fall in love with it. That is the only way.
Every time that I have committed to consistently working hard, I’ve found myself experiencing steady growth, which in turn brings me so much happiness. This is true for my career, my hobbies, and my life as a husband and father. Doing the hard things has always given me so much clarity of thought, resilience, sense of purpose, courage, strength, discipline and self-belief. I feel that with time I can always achieve anything I set my mind on, as long as I consistently and deliberately work very hard on it.
What are you pursuing today? How consistently are you doing the hard but necessary things that will get you closer to being great? I’d love to hear from you.
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