This is a powerful quote I learned from St. Francis Xavier University head Football Coach Gary Waterman a few years back. That statement always stayed with me and still remains true. I have always wondered if I would be able to apply this to life year after year.
Turns out, I can and you can too.
Most of us are living a life we want to change. Many of us are living lives of quiet desperation. We want more. We want something different. We want change. We want to feel valued in all areas of life. The list can go on and on. If any of this applies to you, you are not alone. Trust me, it is human nature to want to feel valued. Despite the social media highlight reels, many people are struggling for significance and a better life. They want tomorrow to be better and different from today.
But how are you going to get there? Short answer: By doing the things you don’t want to do; more often.
Wait, What?
I am so tired of life hacks that are highly marketed and over used by main stream media. These hacks and tips typically work for about 20% of people. Those are likely people of privilege or people who don’t have to worry about things like time, money, work, etc..
I write to the other 80% who are out there in the world grinding it out. Constantly trying to recreate themselves. Trying to recreate a life that is fulfilling and rich. Trying to get from a dream to a reality. I write to the people with a side hustle. People with two jobs while trying to raise a family. To those who were not born with a silver spoon in their mouth.
You are out there day to day doing the things you have to do; to do what you want to do and I am here to encourage you to keep going. Whether you are pushing through the last 5 years of your career for a pension for your family, or you are grinding out a course that you just “have to take” to graduate from school, keep grinding.
I am a teacher. I educate. I am a coach. I coach to win. The biggest similarity between these two professions is what separates good athletes from great athletes is the same thing that separates good students from great students. The great ones do what they have to do, to do what they want to do. Simply put, they are grinders putting in the work to create the life they want in sport, life and education.
You may feel stuck in your career; in a stagnant relationship or just at a crossroads in your life. You may have a goal written down on your fridge that seems further and further away from reality each day. Do not give up! Keep burning the flame and keeping pushing to create a life you want but doing what you need to do.
If you don’t commit yourself to a mantra of doing what you have to do; to do what you want to do, you may find yourself frustrated that results are not coming to you fast enough. It may take five years to get that promotion you want. It may take ten years to write your first book. It may even take you years of exercise before you feel truly competent and healthy physically. Whatever the context, if you commit to doing the things that need done you will be successful.
The richest part of durian fruit is the hardest part of the fruit to reach. The shell is hard. It takes work to uncover the richness inside.
One time I tried cracking a coconut with my bare hands and a rock. It took hours. I burned more calories getting it open then what I received from the fruit. The process was painful but it was totally worth it. I wanted that coconut!
See it through to the end. Change is the result of time and a desire to become greater. Period.
Do what you have to do; to do what you want to do.
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This post was previously published on Medium and is republished here with permission from the author.
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