“Effort only fully releases its reward after a person refuses to quit”
~Napoleon Hill
Don’t be afraid to give your best to what seemingly are small jobs. Every time you conquer one it makes you that much stronger. If you do the little jobs well, the big ones will tend to take care of themselves. ~Dale Carnegie
“All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.”
(Proverbs 14:23 NIV)
A diamond, one of the earth’s most valuable jewels, may take 1 billion to 3.3 billion years to develop. It is formed by high pressure that exists only deep into the Earth’s crust. It is extreme, intense pressure that causes basic carbon to be transformed into a thing of value. In our lives, we have basic carbon, but we desire something of value. How do we create diamonds in our lives? It requires an unexpected amount of pressure. I believe it happens only by doing “the really hard work”.
What do I mean by “really hard work”? I have done some hard work in my life. I once spent a summer working at a brick-making factory. That was hard work, but it did not penetrate the depths of my soul. The work that penetrates the soul and changes who we are, that is diamond-making work, “the really hard work”. It is work that only you can do – it cannot be delegated to someone else. This kind of work will permanently alter the terrain of your life.
Only you can do the really hard work, the kind of work that will change your life. Being a good father or mother, that is something only you can do. Only you can do the hard work to improve your marriage. To lose that extra weight, you’re the only one that can do that work, too. Finishing your degree or advancing your career, all these things are hard work. I think you get the picture. These are things that no one else can do for you. It is all up to you.
I have noticed that the really hard work is time sensitive. There is a time for us to do it, yet we may procrastinate. Eventually, however, the window of opportunity for this work will disappear, and when it does, then we deeply regret that we did not do it. The dad who is bothered by his son to spend time with him finds out too late how important that time would have been if only he had not been so busy. Then we know that the verse rings true: “To every thing there is a season, and a time for every purpose under the heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, SKJV).
I have noticed that I tend to want to avoid the really hard things in life. I suppose this is natural, and I am guessing I am not alone. However, putting it off doesn’t make it any easier when the time comes to actually do it and waiting simply delays any rewards you will reap from your effort. For example, I often thought about going back and getting a CPA. I knew that it would be a lot of work – I had no idea just how much. Finally, I decided to go for it. I thought I would just knock it out, but it almost got the best of me. Waiting had not made it any easier. In the end, though, I triumphed! I know that now our lives will be better for it, and my pay will be better for it. However, if I would have made the decision to do it sooner, my wife and I would likely be in a better position today rather than just beginning in mid-career.
Sure, doing the hard work will put you in a better position, but that is not the biggest benefit. It will change your life. Doing really hard work develops character and strength. Really hard work requires stamina and drive. Once you have finished the really hard work, the sense of accomplishment will touch and nurture the depths of your soul, and the taste of success will leave you wanting more. Having tasted really hard work, I feel stronger and want to do more of it. My next bit of hard work is to take off some extra weight that I have been carrying around for a long time. I know it is not going to be easy to take off the pounds; but having experienced success once, I’m energized to tackle this next piece of really hard work. And after I take off the weight, there will be more really hard work waiting for me, but I’m looking forward to it. Why? Because I know how rewarding it will be.
The really hard stuff takes confidence, dedication, and courage. It will permanently change the terrain of your life. This is why I am such an advocate for doing “the really hard work”. I want to see others accomplish their life changing work, too. It is my work. It is your work. We are the only ones who can do it. When it is done, it likely won’t need to be completed again. It will give life to you and me and those around us.
Think about what you need to do. Is there something that you have been avoiding? Is it something that only you can do? My challenge to you is to do the hard work this year. This year, I am committing to doing the really hard work. Will you join me?
When you have worked through your really hard work and have achieved success, share your story with us! We all know of a success story that has inspired us to make a change. Share your story and be an inspiration to someone else. I would love to hear your story about what you have overcome.
As of this writing I lost 20 pounds. You can keep track of my journey by watching the fitnesspal widget above.
