How will we ever know what our limit is until we hit it?
Sometimes you have to fall down to get back up and reach a higher point. Many times you have to fail before you get to success.
If we consistently fail, learn, try again, fail less, learn more, try again, master one subject, try something related but new, fail, learn, and keep repeating the process, we can’t help but to maximize our potential. We will likely never truly maximize what we’re capable of doing, but I think it’s a worthy endeavor to try our best.
“I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.’” – Muhammad Ali
Do what you need to do now, even if you don’t feel like it, so you can set yourself up for success and reap the rewards later.
Does a farmer plant seeds only when he feels like it? No, because then when he needs to harvest his crop, it won’t be there!
Success takes time, it takes hard work, and it takes consistent action. If you work out once, you’re not going to have six pack abs. If you save money to invest one month, you’re not going to be able to retire off of it. But if you do those things consistently over time, you’ll eventually achieve things that most people aren’t disciplined enough to do.
“Suffer” now. “Sacrifice” now. Live below your means, take care of your mind, body, and spirit now. Do these things consistently and continued take massive actions daily, weekly, and monthly towards your goals, and you will achieve success. Think about your future self, not just about what you feel like doing right now.
Part of success and of achieving goals is being consistent. Taking consistent action is the foundation for nearly every successful person. Do you think Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Michael Jordan, or LeBron James would only work out or study tape when they felt like it? Or did they do something to improve themselves mentally and physically everyday? Their consistent actions of going to the gym everyday helped to get their body right and watching tape helped them understand defenses and get their mind right.
But just because you go to the gym everyday doesn’t automatically mean you’re going to get the results you want. That is part of the equation (a big part), but it’s not the only thing. But if you go to the gym and talk to people for a half hour then leave, are you going to achieve the physical goals that you set for yourself? Or if you are just “going through the motions,” and you don’t ever push yourself by trying to lift more weight, do more reps, take less rest period, or complete your routine in a faster time, are you really going to improve as much as you want?
Being present is great. It’s better than not being there. But don’t trick yourself or fall into the trap thinking that you’ve accomplished your goal just by being there. That’s part of the equation to success, but once you’re there, you need to put in focused, intentional work to achieve the results you want.
Lean into motivation. If you’re motivated, inspired, or excited about something, follow that passion! You never know where it will lead. Go down that rabbit hole!
Motivation comes and goes, so when you have it, take advantage of it. It will make your life easier.
Think of motivation as the cherry on top, and dedication and consistency making up the bulk of your success.
If you learn to enjoy the process, the rest will fall into place. You’re more likely to end up with the result your desire and learn to be happier (both during the process and with the end result).
For example, instead of just saying, “I want to lose 25 pounds,” try to figure out what process you need to follow to do this. Do you need to cut out sugar and processed foods, work out for 30 minutes or more five days per week, drink more water, get better sleep, etc.? If you can learn to love doing those things, you can easily achieve the result you desire. And then when you get to your goal, you’ll also be much more likely to keep those healthy habits because you actually enjoy doing them! No more of this “yo-yo” dieting. No more working out really hard for 3 months and then not working out at all for the next 6 months.
You have to be consistent to achieve results. And the more you enjoy the boring, consistent process, the better results you’ll see.
