There is a sign in the hotel fitness centre where I am staying that says "stop at the first sign of discomfort". This is a great hotel for losers (and I don't mean weight loss losers).
One of the reasons it is easy to be successful is many people have stayed in that hotel and read that sign and made it their life principle.
No successful person that I know stops at the first sign of discomfort. In society we have high respect for those who persist - those who work through discomfort. We respect those who do the tough things. We respect people who earn degrees, who have black belts, who are great athletes, who are high achievers in their field. The greater the dedication required to achieve the goal, the greater the respect. Or put another way - the greater the discomfort a person can work through, the more respect.
There is a martial arts slogan:
Pain is Temporary - Glory is Forever.
One mantra I repeat often is "Successful People do Tough Things". I will ignore the sign.
Thank you for your blog entry today-ish (actually yesterday, June 10th's blog). I just started training in a new career and have been feeling completely overwhelmed. All day today I've been analyzing what I am doing and why I am doing it, my answer remains clear (and the same), what I am doing is starting a new phase of my life, why I am doing it is because I want to! I need to! I've always felt I could work in this particular field I am pursuing now, but life was busy (8 children) and full. And now I am going for it. "It" being whatever I have set my mind to do. Although today, doubt was creeping up on me. I couldn't sleep tonight, thoughts of failure scaring the life and joy right out of me... and for whatever reason, I remembered your blog and decided to come see what you had shared with us over the past few days. I am glad that I did! My plan for my day (June 11th)is to work through the discomfort, and be successful, each step of the way, I will not measure those steps by your shoes or anyone else's shoes, I will measure them by my shoes, my size, my style, my comfort. My grandfather often shared this quote with us;
ReplyDelete"Success in business requires training and discipline and hard work. But if you're not frightened by these things, the opportunities are just as great today as they ever were." -David Rockefeller
I am frightened, but I will succeed!!!!
This is related to the Death Bed antinomy of whether it is better to, "Know when to say when," versus the perceived glory of, "At least I died trying." Hopefully, those at the death bed are not pitying an unnecessary death.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree. On days when the light at the end of the tunnel dims, which it does every so often, sometimes daily! - there is always a new door or light that shines through.
ReplyDeleteWe've been going through the pain process for some time now and one day we'll come out of it, sooner than later, we are all working towards the light. Its the journey I've heard thats the experience, not the arrival..stay positive.
regards,
"Stop at the first sign of discomfort" - NOT
ReplyDeleteGreat blog entry Jim.
Alex K.
Never stop at the first sign of discomfort; always balance this with the right moment to drop out TEMPORARILY so that you can regroup and try again. After all, failing is not lack of success in one moment; it's giving up completely and only you can do that to yourself.
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