AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH
Few things in our culture today seem to be valued more than convenience. We live in what can be described as a “microwave society,” where we’ve been conditioned to expect that what we want, we can get right away. In today's world, anything that doesn’t come quickly and easily is usually labeled as flawed or obsolete.
That mindset has made it harder than ever to accept the harsh reality of success, mainly because it stands in contrast to the long, slow, challenging path that winning often requires us to take. Unfortunately, we rarely microwave our way to real, authentic achievement. Most people can do what champions do when it’s quick and easy - when conditions are ideal, when there isn't challenge or adversity to overcome, and when the reward for their work is obvious and immediate.
But winning in any important area of life is more often determined by what we choose to do when what we want doesn't come quickly or easily. It's when things are inconvenient that you really start to see what separates the champion from everyone else. They are the ones who perform at a high level even when conditions aren’t ideal. They respond effectively to challenge and adversity, and they give their best to the work that’s in front of them, even if the reward for that work isn’t obvious or immediate.
It’s when things are inconvenient that you really start to see what separates the champion from everyone else.
This unique ability isn't a gift that champions have been blessed to receive. It’s more like an intentional decision that champions have chosen to make. It’s a decision born from their competitive spirit and their will to win. Champions recognize that there is value in whatever work we choose to do, but not all work is created equal. The work that’s quick and easy and convenient - the work almost everyone is willing to do - isn’t nearly as valuable as the work that’s slow and difficult and inconvenient. Embracing that kind of work - the work most people are trying to avoid - is one way the champion sets themselves apart.
That will to win simplifies the champion's choices in those moments of inconvenience. Of course, they are tempted like everyone else to complain, turn negative, or bail altogether. But the champion’s commitment to winning is bigger and stronger than their commitment to convenience. They recognize that those two commitments can't occupy the same space; you almost always have to choose one or the other. When you know what you really want, then what needs to be done - even when it's not quick or easy - is crystal clear.
Like any choice we make in life, the more we do it, the more of a habit it becomes. That means each time we choose to handle our moments of inconvenience like a champion, we validate once again - even if only to ourselves - that we are in fact someone worthy of winning, and we prepare ourselves to handle our even bigger and more challenging moments moving forward. In that way, those moments of inconvenience that pop up in your life today can actually be really valuable to helping you build a winning mindset...if you use them the right way. That decision, as always, is yours and yours alone.
I want to encourage you today to recognize how our culture continually conditions us to value convenience, and the negative effect that can have on your winning pursuit. I want to encourage you to recognize that not all work is created equal, and that there is actually great value in choosing to do what champions do, even when and maybe especially when it's inconvenient. And I want to encourage you to use those challenging moments today as an opportunity to validate once again - even if only to yourself - that you are in fact someone worthy of winning. It’s not easy to do, of course…but then again, neither is winning. That’s the honest and rather inconvenient truth.