We all know the famous Thomas Edison quote, “Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration”. You could have a world of great ideas and even well-conceived goals and plans, but without actually knuckling down and doing the hard yards, success will remain elusive. There is no substitute for hard work.
Success is simple, not easy
Achieving what you truly desire in life is usually amazingly simple – but hardly ever easy.
For example, if you really want to become a millionaire, there is nothing stopping you; especially in a country like New Zealand. You’ll need to set challenging but achievable financial goals. You’ll need to get financially educated. You’ll need to find ways to make and invest your money. You’ll need to have a sound financial plan and get good advice. You could find the road to riches through property, shares, trading, or building your own business. Thanks to the Internet, our generation now has unlimited access to a myriad of investment vehicles and financial knowledge. There really is no excuse.
But if you don’t consistently and relentlessly work on your strategies, your dream will remain just a dream. Let’s say you have decided to start your own business as a way to get rich. As any business owner will tell you, you’ll have to work long hours and make many sacrifices, especially during the early phase of your enterprise. You’ll need to take daily actions that move you ever closer to your goals.
Decide what you want, then go for it
If you want to become an accomplished musician, hard work is the most important contributor to success. You may have an abundance of natural talent and an ear for music, but no great musician ever became great without hours and hours of practise over many years, playing the same notes and chords over and over again.
If you want to be a top-class sportsperson, you will need to spend a great deal of your time training and honing your skills. You may have to get up at five in the morning to go for a run or a swim. You may need to push your body to its physical limits every day. All this just to run that little bit faster, be that little bit stronger, or hit that little bit harder.
Shift your mindset around hard work
Hard work doesn’t always have to be “hard”. Although there will be times when you wish you were doing something else, finding ways to make your tasks enjoyable is the key to consistency. Your perception of the work you do is also important. Seeing hard work as a “chore” or something you hate, is not going to help you. Seeing hard work as part of your life plan and a way to build on your skills is much more productive.
Most importantly, scheduling actions and tasks into your routine so they become habits, and just a part of your day, is the real secret to success. Life coaching can help you create powerful systems that move you inexorably toward your goals.
In this life, if you want something badly enough, you should be prepared to work hard to get it.
What do you think? Let me know in the comments.
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