Today’s world is filled with distractions, and instant gratification. It is filled with “immediate results” and little action or effort needed. But as Teddy Roosevelt once said, “ Nothing worth having comes easy.” Hard work, determination, and execution are keys to long term success. And these three key attributes can be implemented immediately.
- Hard work - Pushing past what you thought was previously your limit.
- Too many people look for quick fixes without putting in the work. I am not saying you need to work 70+ hours a week on something to get results. But a simple focus on your health and wellness, such as spending 1 hour per day training can have significant long term health benefits.
- Hard work does not have to be miserable work. Find what you enjoy, find people you enjoy doing it with, and work together to find long term success in whatever it may be you are trying to accomplish. Rudyard Kipling once said, “for the strength of the pack is the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is the pack.” If you go at it alone you are going to have a tougher time than attacking together.
- Determination- focus intent on a single goal
- As previously stated today’s world is filled with distractions, how do we quiet the noise to allow us to focus on one thing at a time.
- Breath work is a great way to quiet the mind to help us focus. This does not have to be meditation, but there are many great guided breathing exercises that can be effective.
- Turn off the noise! Put away your cell phone, hide your computer, pick up a book, or go outside. Too often we allow distractions to be around us 24/7. How can you be determined and focused when you are constantly distracted? Even if you do this for 10-20 minutes, I truly believe you will feel a profound effect on your mood, attention, and overall happiness.
- Execution- taking a plan and putting it into action
- Don’t allow short term failures to derail long term success, consistency is key.
- Too often we have grandiose plans that require too many steps and eventually get left on the waste side. I believe that putting the first two key factors into practice, hard work and determination, will set you up for success in executing your plan!
- Execution in my opinion is the hardest of the steps to complete. Often we do not see immediate results from our hard work and determination so our execution is thwarted. Keep striving for what your plan is set out to be. Remember, “nothing worth having comes easy.”
This blog post is not meant to tell you how to live your life, or say that you are doing anything wrong. It is simply a series of short term actions that can give you long term success in whatever it may be you are trying to accomplish. I stick to these three variables in my daily life, and while it is challenging to consistently do this, the rewards at the end always seem to be worth it.
Stay well,
Mark Jesse Jr. MS, CSCS-RSCC, USAW-2, PN
Founder/President, Landshark Performance