photo by steed media service

Americans love winners. We love to fawn over celebrities. We live vicariously through the super-rich. We aspire to have the lifestyles depicted in the media. What we fail to acquaint ourselves with is the process the aforementioned superstars undertake that propels them to the top. Most people don’t have an eye toward the bling they’ll be able to attain once they realize success. They are too busy building their reputations and careers brick by brick to concern themselves with the gaudy trappings of success. They are not lining other people’s pockets with money. They are empire building. They are lassoing the moon. They are setting the standard that others hope to follow.

To paraphrase Shakespeare; some people are born great, some aspire to greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them. Most of us fall into the middle category, and we would do well to remember that fact. That means we have to plan and hustle to execute our plan every single day. The spoils don’t go to the faint of heart; the brass ring is reserved for those who are unflinching in the hunt. If success were a simple thing to attain, everybody would have it. And unless you are an heir to an obscene fortune, you will have to diligently apply yourself to your goals with unrelenting focus. Therein lies the rub. There are no shortcuts and no easy answers. And that is exactly where most of us fall short. We are so busy chasing the quick and easy that we end up cheating ourselves of the opportunity to grow.

Human beings have an aversion to pain. That is why we fight growth. Growth is pain, oftentimes excruciating, so it is understandable that we dodge it at all cost. But avoidance won’t lead us to the land of milk and honey. Most of us really do aspire to greatness; we just don’t or won’t commit to doing the grunt work it takes to get there. Commit yourself to gaining your heart’s desire every day. Yes, it will hurt. Yes, you will struggle. And you may fail repeatedly, but don’t give up, because the joy of finally realizing that hard-won goal will make any disappoint a distant memory.

Peace.

Munson Steed, Publisher
pubpage@rollingout.com

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