No Gain, Some Pain
Wait a minute. That's not how that line goes. It's supposed to read, "No Pain, No Gain."
If we were talking about physical self improvement that might be correct. In fact, as a distance runner I can attest to its accuracy. But I'm not talking about building bigger biceps or running your first 3:00:00 marathon.
I'm talking about your life. If you search this blog you will probably find other references to Dr. Covey's Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, specifically my frequent use of the habit, "Begin with the end in mind."
Apply it to what you do at the office and you can get stuff done. Apply it to your life and you'll end up old, successful, and with few regrets.
For me, my biggest fear is to find myself in the winter of my life, and to discover that I have made no positive difference in another person's life. That I have left no footprint, I have not made my little corner of the world better. For me, this is the greatest pain of all.
But accomplishing this objective is not without cost. To the contrary, it will come at great cost. And a lot of pain. There will be lots of rejection, failure, misunderstanding, distrust, and disappointment along the way. The flip side is to just to stay in your own comfort zone. Don't make waves. Don't take chances. Don't risk failure.
But if this is your choice, don't expect to make great gains in your personal or your professional life. Steve Jobs said, "Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn't matter to me. Going to be at night saying we've done something wonderful, that's what matters to me."
Churchill described success as "Being able to go from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm." Both of these men left a huge and positive mark in their respective worlds. And so can you.
Work to be the very best at what you do. Set goals that other might see as out of your reach then watch their reactions when you achieve them. Step out of your own comfort zone. Mentor, share your knowledge, help someone avoid some of the land mines you stepped on. Endure some pain. Be disappointed. And in doing so, you will see great gain, and avoid the worst pain of all.
If we were talking about physical self improvement that might be correct. In fact, as a distance runner I can attest to its accuracy. But I'm not talking about building bigger biceps or running your first 3:00:00 marathon.
I'm talking about your life. If you search this blog you will probably find other references to Dr. Covey's Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, specifically my frequent use of the habit, "Begin with the end in mind."
Apply it to what you do at the office and you can get stuff done. Apply it to your life and you'll end up old, successful, and with few regrets.
For me, my biggest fear is to find myself in the winter of my life, and to discover that I have made no positive difference in another person's life. That I have left no footprint, I have not made my little corner of the world better. For me, this is the greatest pain of all.
But accomplishing this objective is not without cost. To the contrary, it will come at great cost. And a lot of pain. There will be lots of rejection, failure, misunderstanding, distrust, and disappointment along the way. The flip side is to just to stay in your own comfort zone. Don't make waves. Don't take chances. Don't risk failure.
But if this is your choice, don't expect to make great gains in your personal or your professional life. Steve Jobs said, "Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn't matter to me. Going to be at night saying we've done something wonderful, that's what matters to me."
Churchill described success as "Being able to go from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm." Both of these men left a huge and positive mark in their respective worlds. And so can you.
Work to be the very best at what you do. Set goals that other might see as out of your reach then watch their reactions when you achieve them. Step out of your own comfort zone. Mentor, share your knowledge, help someone avoid some of the land mines you stepped on. Endure some pain. Be disappointed. And in doing so, you will see great gain, and avoid the worst pain of all.
posted by Duane Olcsvary at 2:06 PM
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