If my athletic career taught me one thing, it is that big successes come only after inordinately long periods of disciplined preparation. This principle is probably one of the most important things I’ve ever learned, but it is far from a secret. Speaking generally, I think you would be hard pressed to find anyone who has not had some sort of experience with the concept of hard work leading to success.
Why then do we on a whole have such trouble following this principle? It is certainly not for the lack of slogans or sayings: “Practice makes perfect”, “No pain, no gain”, “Eyes on the prize” etc…. Additionally, there are a whole slew of “motivational posters” (and an even greater number of joke motivational posters) that all tout the merits of courage, perseverance, and discipline.
In my view, the reason that these “motivational” materials don’t work is because they all focus on the reward of success, which in actuality is never guaranteed. There is always uncertainty. Some find success easily and some work a lifetime without feeling like they’ve ever reached it.
That is why the only way to really guarantee success is to forget about it all together! If hard work itself is the thing that is rewarding – then there is no chance for failure