The Work Weeds Out the Weak

There's a reason that not many people reach their goals or build a level of success worth admiring. It requires work. Serious work.

Take for instance, succeeding at sales. You must be someone willing to..

• Hear "no" and be rejected every day, but still get back up and do your best
• Spend time outside of your 9-5 to build your sales skills
• Practice cold calls almost daily to improve how you get better
• Be patient that bonuses aren't hand-delivered immediately, but usually end of year

Most people don't want that work. They want the quick, easy rewards. They want work where no one will ever reject them.

It takes some strength to get after it every day in the face of rejection.

Every achievement of life worth talking about requires strength.

• Physical strength to endure the long road to get there
• Mental strength to rise from every rejection
• Spiritual strength to understand that your purpose is worth pursuing

It just isn't easy work - which is why the weak won't reap the rewards.

Championship trophies aren't hoisted by weak arms. They're lifted high by strong ones.

You may already consider yourself strong and resilient, so this is just a reinforcement of what you already know: the strength you have to play the long game will be what helps you win it.

But maybe you're reading this and doubting that you're "strong" right now. 

Don't listen to that internal voice.

Strength isn't something you're born with - it's something you build every day.

Take for instance today. Want to make sure you're stronger tomorrow than you are today?

• Intentionally do something that you know will get rejected. Ask someone out. Ask the Starbucks barista if you can have the coffee on the house. Put yourself out there to hear no. Be ok with it.
• Instead of worrying about how far you have to go (and losing motivation for "all the work left to do"), write down the 3 things you can do today to get closer to it. Forget tomorrow. Just focus on today. Like this.
• The next time you fall short of expectations, write down what you wanted, where you fell short, and what you can do differently next time for a better outcome. Identify the growth opportunity instead of focusing on the "failure."
• Practice positive-self-talk and remind yourself that "today I am making strong choices to become a stronger person." Identify choices throughout the day that you can make that more align with what a "strong person would choose."

Consistency. Hard work. Giving your best effort. Not waiting on or worrying about the feeling of motivation. This is the work that the weak won't do.

It's also why the weak won't win. It's a good thing you're a strong Competitor - and getting stronger every day.