The pursuit of success should be made through all reasonable efforts. I believe it would be an affront to our futures if we did not strive to become more than what we are now, at every stage of our lives. Every person who has tasted success, be it a professional athlete, a commendable home-maker, or a business professional, would all agree; success is a joy. Achieving greater successes is exciting, enjoyable, and exhilarating. But there is one thing we must all face to achieve these pleasures; and that is the painful pursuit of success.
You see the milestones we talk about, those are the happy times, those are the signs that our efforts are paying off. But the efforts themselves, they are not fun. Those painful pursuits are the small, seemingly insignificant behaviours that most days we don’t feel like doing. Like showing up at the gym when we’re exhausted and the temptation to just hit snooze is almost overpowering. Or giving up on that much desired lazy night in to attend a networking event. Or taking the high-road because of the lessons others can learn from our restraint. These scenarios, and a hundred others like them every single day play out. And they hurt.
Delaying instant gratification of simply doing what we want in the moment is the largest differentiating factor in achieving success. Successful people know this: what is undesirable or even painful in this moment, will be rewarded with the joys of success in the future. To borrow from our fitness fanatics:
No Pain, No Gain
The truth in this statement cannot be overstated, not in the intentional pursuit of pain, but rather in the sacrifice needed to become great. Pushing ourselves at great lengths once or twice is not the path to success. Instead, it's the small, seemingly insignificant at the time, choices that lead us to success.
The painful pursuit of success is thus: making the choices each day, each week, that aren’t the most enjoyable in the present moment, but pay us off with interest in the future.
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Action Item Take-Away:
What choices are you making unconsciously each day that could be changed to ensure a brighter future? What choices could you make today that improve your life tomorrow?
Think on this, write down the choices that you will start making today to ensure tomorrow is brighter. And then, take action on those choices.