Deserving Victory

Hoping for success is not enough. Deserving it is what really matters. What does it mean to deserve success?

Success only comes to those who work long and hard, who we are really willing to pay the price in blood, sweat and tears. Hard work is the basic building block of any kind of achievement. Without it everything else is pointless. If you look closely at all great organizations, great teams, all great people, the one common denominator is a second to none work ethic. The intense effort to achieve is always there. This is the one given if you want to be successful. When it comes to work ethic, there can be no compromises. Any other promise of achievement is fool’s gold.

There is evidence of fool’s gold all around us, people looking for a quick weight-loss plan or a get-rich quick scheme. Short-cuts fail.

Outwork everybody in sight. Sweat the small stuff. Sweat the big stuff. Go the extra mile. Put your heart and soul into whatever you do, no matter what it takes.

Success is not a lucky break. It is not a birth right. It is not an accident. Success is a choice.

Here are some quotes from other hard workers:

• "I firmly believe that any man's finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle - victorious."  Vince Lombardi

• "Striving for success without hard work is like trying to harvest where you haven't planted." - David Bly, American politician

• "Nothing will work unless you do." - John Wooden, American college basketball coach

• "Always make a total effort, even when the odds are against you." - Arnold Palmer, American professional golfer

• "The highest compliment that you can pay me is to say that I work hard every day." - Wayne Gretzky, Canadian ice hockey player

• "Satisfaction lies in the effort, not in the attainment. Full effort is full victory." - Mohandas Gandhi, Indian religious leader

• “Good things might come to those who wait, but only what’s left over from those who hustle” - Abraham Lincoln, American President

• “I've never viewed myself as particularly talented. I've viewed myself as slightly above average in talent. Where I excel is with a ridiculous, sickening work ethic. While the other guy's sleeping, I'm working. While the other guy's eating, I'm working. While the other guy's making love, I mean, I'm making love, too, but I'm working really hard at it!” – Will Smith, Actor