Success is Based on How Much You Can Take

All of us have an idea or vision of what success looks like in our lives. Our "vision" may include good health, financial security, the type of home we live in, maybe a second home, the health of our family, a promotion, or whatever we think will bring us that positive feeling in our lives that we all want.

As most of us know (or think we do), success requires hard work. Nothing happens because you want it to happen. Only Master Yoda could use the Force; you cannot just will yourself into success. Let's be honest, each of us will encounter an obstacle, barrier or some pain on your journey to your success.

Along with the obstacle or barrier comes varying degrees of discomfort. And, that feeling of discomfort will be your test or defining moment that will determine just how much pain and sacrifice you're willing to take on to achieve your goal of success. In fact, we could make the argument that your road to success isn't based as much on how hard you work, but how much discomfort you're willing to take on and push through to get to where you want to go: your vision of success.

Many runners I know, dream about running and finishing a marathon. But how many give up on that dream when they realize the training and preparation they need to undertake? Maybe they were captivated with the picture of crossing the finish line and waving to the crowd, but underestimated all of the lonely hours of training that would be needed for that "moment".

Want proof? How often have you personally experienced or seen in others that point in time when the "discomfort" gets so intense that you give up or quit on your goal. Maybe you really didn't want it bad enough. Maybe you were caught up in the dream of the goal and did not pay enough attention to what was necessary to make the dream a reality.

The lesson: when you set out to achieve success be clear and committed to exactly what you want, how hard you're willing to work for it, and how much discomfort you're prepared to take along the way. If you know this and prepare for it up front, you increase the odds that you'll succeed.