What you can’t do if you fail

Never fail due to a lack of effort. Go down swinging. If you’re not skilled enough to do something or if you’re not smart enough to grasp it, that’s a capacity issue that can be addressed. With the right coaching, determination, and attitude, you can improve on those things. But effort requires no skill, no intelligence. You either give it your all or you don’t. And if you’re not trying, you deserve to lose.

Going through the motions only gets you so far…

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.

What are you willing to sacrifice for the things you want?

It takes a lot of effort and sacrifice to reach the next level of success.

A lot of us take it easy on ourselves. We say, “I did enough for today.” When really, we just did the bare minimum.

If you set ambitious goals, you’re going to have to work a lot harder than you currently are. So the question becomes, are you OK with good enough? Or do you want spectacular? Do you want extraordinary?

If you’re reading this, that means you have access to the Internet. Maybe you’re reading it from a smart phone, a laptop, or a tablet. But relatively speaking, you’ve “made it.” You’re better off than so many other people in the world already in terms of finances. You likely live in a first world country. You likely don’t have any major concerns regarding food, water, or shelter. Life for you as it currently is should be considered “good enough.”

But do you want more, and if so, what are you willing to do for it? So many people want something. They desire it, but only if it falls into their lap. They want it to happen, but they aren’t willing to do what it takes to get what they want.

Only you can decide how badly you want something. If you want it bad enough, you can make it happen. You can set time aside to work towards it. Sometimes that will mean waking up early or staying up late, sometimes that will mean refraining from buying something, sometimes that will mean reading instead of watching tv, but almost always, there will be a sacrifice that needs to be made if you don’t want to coast through life for “good enough.” Now it’s just a matter of reminding yourself how important your goal is and determining if the sacrifice is still worth it.

Effort over (natural) ability

Everyone wants to be extremely talented and to have incredible natural ability. But the reality is that not all of us are blessed with that natural ability. We can’t change that. But what we can change is our effort.

How hard are you willing to work? How much are you willing to sacrifice? Are you determined to make it happen? Do you make a plan and work the plan? Are you intrinsically motivated? Do you work well with others? Do you have a good attitude? Do you show up? Do you follow through with what you say you’ll do?

Your effort in life will play a bigger role than your natural ability. The more effort you give, the more ability you can develop.

All you can do is all you can do

All you can do is all you can do. There is no more. Sorry, but you can’t give 110%. I know it’s a popular phrase, but it’s not possible. You only have 100% to do it. Maybe eventually you’ll increase your capacity so that what is your full effort today becomes more effortless in the future. But in terms of today, you can only try your best to do what you’re capable of.

You can only control what you can control – your effort and your attitude. Stop worrying about the future. Stop worrying about what other people will think. Stop worrying about the results. If you continue to follow the process, and it’s the right process, the results you desire usually come. It doesn’t always work out (there is no formula for guaranteed success), but if you think in bets and play the odds, you can put yourself in the best position to succeed.

All you can do is all you can do. The key to reducing stress is to let everything else go.