This month our motto is “Earned. Not given.” Why? Because we know far too many people have the potential to reach their goal. They just aren’t prepared to work for it. Too afraid they’ll fail. But what if we were to tell you that without the hard work, there would be no reward? And without earning your success, you will never really appreciate it. Here’s what we mean when we tell you that everything worth having is earned. Not given.
What do we mean when we say success?
Success isn’t about money. It’s not about tangible possessions. And it definitely cannot be measured. Instead of seeing success as the endpoint when you have reached your limits, understand that success occurs when you have pushed yourself beyond them. It’s a journey, where despite all our failures, we get up and we prove ourselves.
Your own individual success lies in your hands. No one can define it but you. You probably spend hours thinking about it. Visioning it. Dreaming of it. But why do you never work on it? The reason is most likely because you are afraid. Every time you start something new, you have doubts. Little things that hold you back. “What if this happens?” “But this could go wrong.” You see, the problem is, we always want things, but we are never prepared to work for them.
With success, we all want it right away. Right now. We lose patience. Fail to understand that success doesn’t happen overnight. Instead we just sit around waiting for someone to give it to us. For something to come along and make the changes that we are somehow incapable of making ourselves. Well guess what? The only person that can save your life is you. Nothing worth having will ever be given to you. If you want success, if you want to achieve something, you have to go out there and you have to make it happen. Earn it.
But what if it’s too hard? What if there are too many things standing in the way? The obstacles and the tests you face determine the strength of your passion and will be the reason for your success. So for now, don’t worry about the difficulties ahead of you. They only serve to provide you with greater rewards. And besides, how will you ever know your limits if you haven’t tested them? How can you be sure that you’ve given it your all if you never try again?
No matter how tough it is, the path to every goal teaches us something new about ourselves. How strong we are. How focused we are. How driven we are. So never be afraid of the journey before it’s begun. Because you never know what you’ll learn about yourself along the way.
To simplify things, keep this in mind: Everything good demands a struggle. And no matter who you are, you will only really appreciate your success, once you’ve worked your ass off to achieve it. Never be afraid of hard work. It get’s you places. When you can sit back and say you’ve earned it, is when you realize it was all worth it.
A path laden with obstacles will lead you to greatness. A clear one is likely to lead you nowhere.
