The result of consistent, continuous hard work is always the same: GRADUAL IMPROVEMENTS THAT LEAD TO SUCCESS.
When we do hard things, WE become hard. We get faster, better, wiser, more experienced more quickly, and we become irreplaceable.
Results don’t lie. If we are filled with determination, grit, perseverance, relentlessness, focus, a spirit of beautiful obstinance, and a winning mindset, we will succeed at anything we choose to put our minds to. Adopting a few good habits, practicing a growth mindset, and listening to the Mentors we choose for ourselves in this life, AND DOING WHAT THEY SUGGEST ON A DAILY, CONSISTENT BASIS, will usually help us attain the results we want.
RESULTS DON’T LIE.
One of the many great and wonderful examples of this truth is my daughter-in-law, Amber Simpson.
Today, May 11, 2018, she graduates from NAU. After four years and a whirlwind of life, challenges, hard work, difficulties, and a not-so-easy but beautiful ride, she has finally made it! She has succeeded where so many others have tried and failed. She exhibited a strong will and a lot of, “sticktoitiveness.” She is a great example of determination, grit, perseverance, focus, a spirit of beautiful obtstinance, and a winning mindset.
When speaking with her father, I mentioned: “Wow. You must be really proud.” His reply was, “I am proud, but this is just something I expected.” I loved that. Greatness, success, and all of the qualities above ought to be expected from all of us-of ourselves, and others. We all ought to expect and work hard for great things of ourselves. If we do, and then follow it up with action, the results will always be the same. There are so many great examples of people out there that do.
When I asked Amber, what kept her going through all the rough times when she wanted to quit or give up, she said,” Just knowing that there was a light at the end of the tunnel and knowing that if I kept at it, there was a reward at the end of the process.”
When asked what the thing was that helped her the most to succeed, she said, “Quizlet, the website, helped me through the finals. The testing and studying I had to go through in school were difficult. Quizlet saved me a ton of time. Keeping in mind the vision of completing school and knowing I would have success and a classroom of my own, full of children to teach, really kept me motivated. Vision and goals really kept me going.” There are tools out there we can use to save time and achieve our ideas of success MUCH SOONER, if we are willing to seek them out, ask for help finding them, and experiment with them.
When she was asked who she looked up to and considered a mentor, she replied, “One of my professors, who was an anchor advisor, since day one, helped me immensely. She got me through it all and was always there for me. She was knowledgeable and relatable, Through her I was able to acquire new skills, become connected with key people who would later help me with my own, personal success, and I was able to keep perspective through the educational process.”
Her graduation at NAU today isn’t the end. She is now planning to further her education and obtain a Master’s degree. As of this year (2020) she has accomplished this goal! Her dedication, perseverance, relentless heart, excellent habits, and hard work paid off!
She did the research. A Master’s degree won’t do that much for her. In truth, it will only bump her up about $50 per paycheck. Why do it then? “I want the accomplishment of it. I feel like it is a lot of hard work and it’s something I can do. It’s something else I want to work towards and have a feeling of greater accomplishment.”
Everyone who knows and loves Amber is proud of her. She is proud of herself, and for good reason.
When we work hard and struggle to accomplish the results of hard work, it is important to be proud. We deserve to celebrate the successes. We deserve to enjoy the rewards of a higher level of confidence, a greater sense of accomplishment and fulfillment, and a recognition that we dared to achieve greatly, when in reality, we didn’t have to do anything at all. The harder we work and the more we struggle to succeed, the prouder and more confident we deserve to feel. When we earn it, we deserve it. Success isn’t served on a silver platter. It is something worked hard for, before it is achieved.
Great job, Amber! We all love you and we are proud of you, We all would have loved you, no matter what, but after all that you worked so hard for to achieve, the pride is real, and the level of pride is high. Keep it up!
Graduation is not the end, but the beginning. What you gained from your hard work and dedication and perseverance along the way, and who you became along the way, will aid you in furthering your success and enjoying a more enriching and beautiful life than if you had chosen not to do any of this.
The blessing in all of this for me is I feel the same pride for Amber as I do for each one of our six kids. I love to watch them all struggle, work hard, fail, succeed, persist, and win. It is a beautiful process to behold. We are all in the middle of this same process. We always will be, for the rest of our lives, if we so choose, and doing the hard things can only result in living a purpose-filled, meaningful, highly enjoyable life.
May we all dare to achieve greatly,
The truth is this: Time passes at the same rate, no matter what we choose to do with it. What are you doing with your time? Whatever it is, I hope it is great. You deserve some greatness in your life. We all do.
Today, I will write a list of all the hard things I am currently doing to achieve my personal list of goals. I will make another list of OTHER things I could be doing each day to further my progress more quickly, and move the needle in a more significant way, and methodically introduce the habits it will take. I will remember: I am persistent. I am relentless. I am determined. I am focused. I am a success. I am a winner. I love doing hard things because of what I BECOME in the process.
goodinthehead is also on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter. Follow me there, as well, for daily messages, inspiration, motivation, and reminders. Please pay it forward, and share this, and ANY message, which may empower someone you love or may care about. It is through adding value to others by sharing and spreading wisdom, that we become more valuable as individuals, and collectively, as a whole, we all become wiser.
Remember: Mindset matters. Character counts. That which we choose to consistently focus on is what EXPANDS in our lives. WE CREATE our realities.