I have always loved this quote. I love it more now than ever. But, unfortunately, we live in a culture where there is an increasing expectation of experiencing success without putting in the work. And well -- that just doesn't work. It never has, and it never will.
We will never experience success apart from putting in the work because the work, the grit, and the effort itself are non-negotiable ingredients of success.
I love to make homemade deep-dish pizza from time to time. My pizza is incredible if I do say so myself. But imagine if I invited you over to my house to treat you to some of my amazing deep-dish pizza, and I decided to make it without mozzarella cheese. Anybody I know who loves excellent pizza knows that mozzarella cheese is a non-negotiable and necessary ingredient. You might eat it with a smile on your face, but on the inside, you would be saying to yourself, "What is Bill thinking? This isn't deep-dish pizza. He forgot the cheese!" And you would be right.
So many people want to experience success without sweat. We want fulfillment and satisfaction without the necessary ingredients of perspiration and determination.
But that's not you.
Instead, you understand that anything in life that is truly rewarding and deeply fulfilling will require time, practice, determination, reps, and grit.
In the book "Outliers," Malcolm Gladwell describes how it takes 10,000 hours to master a skill. Ten thousand hours is a serious investment of time.
That's 10,00 hours when you feel like it -- and when you don't.
That's 10,000 hours when you feel fit and focused -- and when you feel sore and scattered.
That's 10,000 hours when you have time on your hands -- and when you have to squeeze a few disciplined moments into a full schedule of preexisting commitments.
But, you know this -- if your dream is worth it, the time you invest into it is time well spent.
According to INC Magazine, there are four steps you can take every day toward mastery.
Set aside time to practice daily
Get mentors to help you move forward
Understand you're a work in progress
Take one step at a time
Let me ask you some questions to get you thinking --
What area of your life do you want to achieve mastery? Where do you want to experience true, long-lasting success?
What goals have you set related to that?
What is your plan (the high-leverage actions you will take daily) to succeed?
Where is this plan showing up in your calendar?
Who have you shared this plan with to help keep you accountable and support you in this journey toward mastery?
When will you start?
Put in the work. Embrace the work. Love the work. And then, you will have stepped into your success journey.
Why?
Because as Vidal Sassoon says, "The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary."
