“I often wonder what it is that brings one man success in life, and what it is that brings mediocrity or failure to his brother. The difference can’t be in mental capacity; there is not the difference in our mentalities indicated by the difference in performance. In short, I have reached the conclusion that some men succeed because they cheerfully pay the price of success, and others, though they may claim ambition and a desire to succeed, are unwilling to pay that price.
And the price is…
To use all your courage to force yourself to concentrate on the problem in hand, to think of it deeply and constantly, to study it from all angles, and to plan.
To have a high and sustained determination to put over what you plan to accomplish, not if circumstances be favorable to its accomplishment, but in spite of all adverse circumstances which may arise and nothing worthwhile has ever been accomplished without some obstacles having been overcome.
To refuse to believe that there are any circumstances sufficiently strong to defeat you in the accomplishment of your purpose.
Hard? I should say so. That’s why so many men never attempt to acquire success, answer the siren call of the rut and remain on the beaten paths that are for beaten men. Nothing worthwhile has ever been achieved without constant endeavor, some pain and constant application of the lash of ambition. That’s the price of success as I see it. And I believe every man should ask himself: Am I willing to endure the pain of this struggle for the comforts and the rewards and the glory that go with achievement? Or shall I accept the uneasy and inadequate contentment that comes with mediocrity? Am I willing to pay the Price of Success?”
-Joseph French Johnson
These words were written at the turn of the 20th century and their relevance still remains. Everyone wants success. Everyone claims to be stricken with ambition-to be burdened with lofty goals that will eclipse the lives of their counterparts. So why is it that very few of us reach our goals and the rest of us settle for a life of mediocrity. According to Mr. Johnson the difference is that some of us are willing to pay the price of success with enthusiasm and the rest of us choose comfort and take the beaten path.
The comfort that I am talking about is comfort in every aspect of your life. A cushy job with a cushy schedule. Not pursuing what you want in fear of failing. Not pursuing what you want in fear of being criticized for not sticking to what society deems to be acceptable career paths. Another aspect of wanting to avoid discomfort is the loneliness that pursuing your dreams entails. See a reality of being productively ambitious is the fact that you are going to have to put in a lot of work. Even saying a lot of work is probably understating how much work you are actually going to have to put in. What does that entail? Well for starters a serious dent in your social life. You are going to have to come to grips with the idea that time is your most valuable asset and commodity. Do you want to spend your nights watching tv, going to the movies, or partying? Or would you rather use that time to put in work and inch closer to becoming who you want to be? That’s a decision each one of us is going to have to make.
This applies to anything you want for yourself. In regards to training and dieting it means everything. You can’t be going out to dinner 3-4 times a week cheating on your diet. Or when you go out with your friends and everyone is getting hammered you do not want to partake in the festivities because you want to stick to your diet. You also know that you have a training session in the morning and a night of heavy drinking will really put a damper on your training session and that is the last thing you want/need.
I have learned about these truths the hard way. How bad you want something really doesn’t matter, you have to pay the price and make the sacrifices, otherwise you’re not going to get to where you want to go. That’s simply the bottom line. Are you willing to pay the price? Happy Liftin’
HOWL.
