Effort

The first principle of success isn’t education, or grades, or degrees. The same street that is filled with the carcasses of the passionate ones is also filled with the highly educated degree seekers who never hit success. Having a degree and getting a higher education, albeit, seems necessary has lost favor in the business world due to missing the first principle of success.

The real first principle of success is actually effort. Sheer effort in countless hours of practice and routine and hammering until success happens. Without this first principle, being both a state of mind and a state of being, then I can tell you your odds of succeeding at anything becomes limited to handouts and unearned entitlements. And effort is not taught openly anymore.

I am going to share three examples of the effort that is needed to succeed.

Let’s take, first your physical health or life. Imagine if your goal would be to run an ultra marathon, or compete in a fitness competition, or do a Spartan race, or any event that demands you be faster, stronger, leaner, or better than you currently are.

So what do I mean about effort needed? I am going to use the ultra marathon example because it is clearly down right hard.

The baseline effort required to even finish a 100 miles is simple, and most people try to cut the corners. The baseline miles, just running or walking the miles, is to put in 100 miles a week. Yes a week. You have to carve out time to do it. Then you need to actually go and do the miles at any level of effort. The time requirement is 5 hours a day. You have to get out the door, which for most is actually harder than running. Then you have to run. You have to overcome pain and fatigue while also learn to eat and drink while running. You have to overcome people questioning what you are doing. You have to overcome your own mental head trash for weeks on end that constantly is wondering what the hell you are doing.

Then you have to repeat the process every day. Some days it rains, some days you hurt, some days it is beautiful, some days are out right a complete disasters. And that is only the first week. You have to do this for 6 months.

Oddly enough in our society few embrace this way of being that is successful. Coaches have a hard time keeping people focused on the real effort to succeed, because athletes don’t want to do the work that is needed. The ones who put in the work actually win and they usually succeed most of the time. The ones who don’t put in the effort don’t succeed. That is the simple truth.

I have seen athletes that have the genetic gifts get thoroughly beaten by other athletes with far less genetic ability, because of the simple act of putting in the required effort.

I ask you to look at your physical life and goals and ask yourself if you are really putting in the effort required or are you just going through the motions and embracing discouragement? What would your life be like if you gave up that half effort life and committed to putting in the real effort to succeed?

The next area is business or the pursuit of wealth. The odd thing I witness in business is the simple lack of clarity of what a goal is. Going to work each day and making a paycheck isn’t a goal that is worth your life. So, we have to set up a wealth goal first that is like that of an ultra marathon.

Imagine if you had a measurable goal for 2018? If you are making $60,000 now make the goal $120,000. If you are building a business, make the goal double what you currently have.

Each business I agree has its complications and details, but at some point you have to lay out the route on the map for you to achieve your goal in business. Most people don’t even try to lay out the details they know they need to do to succeed in business. Why? Because it will look much like the mass effort needed to succeed in an ultra marathon.

For the sake of effort, imagine you did lay out the route. It will look something like this:

In sales you must prospect 100 new clients to get 10. And ten is a huge closing rate. You must prospect at least 2 hours a day.

Next you must spend at least one hour documenting and following up with administrative efforts every day.

Next you must spend 2 hours dealing with and adjusting to the demands and changes of existing clients to keep them on track.

Then for the next two hours you must communicate and discuss and work through details with your team members and other business related topics.

You must do this every day for 6 months to double your earnings.

So what do most people do? Most people don’t have a plan nor follow it. Most people go to work and expect someone else to tell them what to do or wait for the phone to call so they can react to something. Most want a comfortable office and chair, and work environment, and pretty colors with guaranteed hours and guidelines. Most don’t even get on the phone and make 100 calls because of some mystical reason. Most blame a boss or a co-worker for the lack of results when they themselves didn’t make the calls, document the findings, call existing clients, and powerfully go to the meetings.

As you imagine what you need to do at work to double your money, notice what level of effort you do or do not put in.

The final example of the effort needed to succeed in life is in the area of relationships. I mean the key relationships at home with your wife, husband or children. The effort is the same as an ultra marathon. There are no short cuts to having a successful family.

Here is the hard real deal. You need to spend time in the morning with your family. You need to check in with each kid every morning. I know the reasons and excuses as to why this cannot happen, but they are still just excuses. You need to check in with your spouse, say you love them and you are proud of the person they are each and every morning.

You need to go to your kids games, watch them practice or do homework with them. You need to do this every day. If you cannot, there is so much available technology today to still be there.

You need to have dinner with your family. Stop playing around like this is some game that doesn’t matter. You need to kiss and touch your husband and wife every day.

Why am I saying this? Because just like your physical and wealth efforts, your relationships takes the same level of effort. You have to overcome the frustrations and do it. You have to force yourself to put in the time and attention to family that is required to get them to succeed. There is no other way. No nanny, no helper, no other person can do this but you.

Imagine what you life would be like if you put in the effort. Imagine what would happen. Or keep not putting in the effort and you know what will happen then don’t you.