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The grind gets a bad wrap.
Most people think of it as a negative thing.
In fact, most hate it.
It’s hard, uncomfortable and that’s the point.
Hard things make you grow and easy things don’t.
So embrace the grind.
Learn that it doesn’t matter how you feel.
Don’t give up, push through it and see how your life changes.
All the growth you seek is found in grinding it out.
Malcolm Gladwell wrote about the 10,000-hour rule.
It's the idea that you have to put in 10,000 hours to become a master at something.
The common understanding of this rule is rubbish and better still you know it.
You know that no one masters anything simply by showing up.
Said another way, it’s not the hours that count, it’s how you spend them.
There’s a lot to be said for showing up. Most people won’t even take the easiest of steps towards victory.
The problem comes when you stop at showing up. When you believe being there and going through the motions will get you where you want to go.
It doesn’t work that way.
You never achieve goals by accident.
The only way to reach them is by working a plan.
A plan intensely focused on the right things.
Things like sacrifice, hard work, delayed gratification, and discipline.
Things that while not enjoyable at the time, are laying the foundation for your future victory.
Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick. That’s the sound of time passing us by.
It keeps rolling on. Never stopping to rest, or catch its breath. No, time just keeps chugging along.
Depending on when you get up and how late you’re awake, your clock will count down somewhere between 43,000 to 86,000 seconds before your head hits the pillow tonight.
What will you do with those seconds?
Each one is an opportunity to do something worthwhile.
Squeeze every ounce out of each one of those moments. Make each and every one of them count.
Use them to move the ball downfield, to get things done, and most importantly to make yourself better.
Be disciplined about it and you’ll reach the end of the day exhausted yet proud.
Then get up and do it again tomorrow, and every day.
It can be hard to see other people succeed.
It is difficult to watch others hit new personal records in the weight room, while you're still grinding it out not seeing the gains you’d like.
It can be harder still to watch your neighbor or friend purchase that new car or house you’d like.
Worse still is the never-ending onslaught of envy social media brings. Moment after moment of each day, you are reminded of what others are doing, seeing, and achieving while you remain “stuck” where you are.
It’s a universal problem, and we all must deal with it.
You’ve got to shift your mindset.
You’ve got to realize that there is plenty of success to go around.
Life is not like a pie with a limited number of slices.
No, in life the possibilities are limitless. Potential abounds for not only you, but every single person to be, do, and achieve more.
Start relishing in the success of others. Cheer them on and sincerely encourage them along the way.
Not only will you lift their spirits, but yours as well.
In doing so you’ll come to realize that giving and receiving are two sides of the same coin.
It’s impossible to give without receiving something in return, even if that something is but a warm and cheerful feeling.
You receive a great deal more than warm feelings in reality though. You receive co-ownership of their success. Every time you look upon their achievements you’re reminded of just how happy you are for them and share in their joy.
All of which makes it much more likely you’ll reach your own mountaintop at long last.
When you do finally reach the snow-crested peak of your own achievements, there will be a host of others there to greet and celebrate with you.
Part of living a disciplined life is exercising financial discipline.
Among many things, that means living within a budget.
If you don’t have a monthly budget, create one—one well within your means is best.
Give every dollar a job and watch how your life changes.
Living within a budget may sound restricting, but just like every other area of your life, that discipline brings freedom.