Earlier this month my Dad and I made our annual trek to the Canadian wilderness to fish. It is a fantastic week that we each look forward to every year. However, it's not an easy trip and it surely is not easy to get there. We fly from Nashville to Minneapolis, rent a car and then drive 8+ hours to our pick up point in Ontario. From there we travel by boat for a half hour to camp. It's a long haul, but the experience is life changing. There is no cellphone coverage. There are no texts. There are no e-mails. There is very little communication with civilization. To many this may sound like anything but a vacation. To us, it is exactly what we are looking for and the fishing is phenomenal! You see, the journey to get there is tough, but the payoff is great.
This is similar to most things in our lives. The things that we have to work the hardest to get mean the most to us. The act of buying that first home is hard and sometimes scary, but the ability to have your own little piece of this earth is worth it. Putting in the effort to lose weight and get in shape is difficult, but the quality of life achieved is worth it. Applying every ounce of energy into your job is ridiculously hard, but getting recognized for your work is worth it. A salesperson who has a record month or hits a budget that seemed out of reach experiences great satisfaction that their effort was worth it.
The best things in life are often the hardest to achieve. Don't give up! Don't give in! Keep pushing forward. When it beats you down, get more determined. There is a greatness in each of you that is waiting to be unleashed. So, remember, the steeper the climb the better the view. Embrace the things that are the hardest and be confident that the payoff will be great!
Written by Derron Steenbergen, President of the Swagger Institute.
The Swagger Institute is a full service business development company specializing in sales and leadership training, motivational speaking and organizational consulting.