“Nothing worthwhile comes easily. Half effort does not produce half results. It produces no results. Work, continuous work and hard work, is the only way to accomplish results that last.” -Hamilton Holt
I believe we could stop there, meditate on that quote for some time, and be good.
Chew on it, if you will, for a while.
The secret to success isn’t that big of secret. It’s simply a mindset – an attitude – that so many are unwilling to adopt any longer.
‘Merica!
We’re lazy and we know it.
Society, culture, whatever you want to call it, welcomes with open arms those who know what they want and want it now…although they don’t want to put in much work or effort to get what they want.
Can I use the term ‘entitlement’ without making this post political?
Technology is great, but look at the millions of zombies walking around every day with their heads buried in their smart phone and tablet.
Weak neck extensors but super strong thumbs! Lol
All kidding aside, today’s conveniences are amazing. We’re connecting and sharing and learning with others across the county and globe because of this technology.
We simply need to apply it correctly.
We need to apply ourselves a bit more.
This little thing called Time
The secret to any success is ultimately putting in the work (hopefully learning along the way and improving what and how we do it) over a significant period of time.
Sure we can “jump start” some success with accelerated programs, be it in health and fitness or other areas of life. What gets left out, however, is the discipline and habits that lead to long-term success.
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit. -Aristotle
It’s not glamorous to promote “do the little things over the course of a ten year period and you’ll be healthier and wealthier”.
The often mundane, little choices we make all add up. Success doesn’t usually come in a windfall, but it most certainly will come when you don’t give up.
I like the connection that Jeff Olson speaks to in his book The Slight Edge; Time is a magnifier.
If you choose to exercise daily and eat healthier foods, you won’t find yourself battling obesity or type 2 diabetes down the road.
But if you put off that exercise (which is easy to do) and consistently live off of fast food and conveniently pre-packaged meals, the negative health consequences slowly creep up on you.
It doesn’t happen overnight.
That’s the problem.
After a week or month even, we look back and say “oh, I’m doing alright. I’ve only gained a pound and I’m not in the hospital”.
Jim Rohn would be exclaiming, “You’ve got to be smarter than that!”
Maybe foresight is what we’re lacking. These choices we make every day do make a difference.
The exercise and fruits and veggies and water will lead to a healthier you…over time.
The lack thereof will lead to a non-healthy you…over time.
Invest some money into a mutual fund or retirement account and not much changes. It’s the act, the habit, of doing this monthly over the course of years and decades that create financial prosperity.
The principle applies.
Speaking of the late, great Jim Rohn, his definition of success and failure sums this all up rather nicely.
Success is a few, small disciplines, repeated every day.
Failure is a few, small errors in judgment, repeated every day.
Notice the ‘every day’ part. This is what so often gets looked over.
We’ve all known the people that can “commit” to something for 21 to 90 days, or for their 12 week challenge. But let’s talk in 5 years. In 10 years. How about 40 years?
Time will magnify your daily habits, however small you think they are.
But hard work and patience is a tough sell these days.