Every second counts.

You don’t reach worth while goals overnight. 

They take relentless pursuit, hard work, and patience. 

You also don’t fall apart overnight either. 

It happens over time. 

Success and failure are both slow processes. 

That’s why you have to pay attention. 

That’s why you have to stay on guard and resist the urge to coast. 

Every second counts. 

In each one, you are either gaining or losing ground. 

So make them count. 

Don’t take them off. 

Don’t let up. 

Don’t buy the lie that this second or that second doesn’t matter. 

A Quick Word on Failure

Successful people are comprised of thousands of failures.

Search the annals of history and you’ll find that famous and successful people are forged in the fires of failure. 

They fail and they fail and they fail, until at long last they reach their destination. 

Remember this the next time you encounter disappointment. 

Failure isn’t near the big scary monster you were most likely told.

It’s a necessary part of your journey. 

Don’t bail and give up. 

Stay the course. Hold the line. 

Keep on the disciplined path. 

Most of all remember that failure isn’t breaking you, it’s forging you into who you need to be. 

Relish the hard road.

There is no easy path to success. 

Only the hard road reaches that destination. 

Sweat, exhaustion, and tears litter the roadside, but it's not crowded. 

It's followed by the special few who daily take the incremental steps needed to improve.

There are no short cuts to the top. 

Only the long, painful process of discipline.

That's why there is big business in selling people an easier way. Everyone wants a shortcut. No one wants to sign up for years of toil and sweat. 

But that's exactly what it takes to become the person you want to be: years and years of work, sweat, and persistence. 

Relish the hard road. 

If you're on it, it means you're taking responsibility for your life and doing your darnedest to make it count. 

If your not, it's time to turn down that path. To start putting in the work necessary to get 1% better each day. 

You have everything you need to walk that path, so what are you waiting for? 

Get going.

Humility

Humility is essential to success. 

It’s almost impossible to get there without it. 

You have to be willing make an honest assessment of yourself, to learn and to ask for help. 

Each requires humility. 

Be humble. 

Take stock of where you’re weak and own the problems and solutions. 

Ask for help along the way. Even the Lone Ranger had Tonto. 

Humble yourself and seek to improve in every area of your life. 

There are no finished products this side of Heaven. Embrace this truth and it’ll change everything. 

Simple Not Easy

Reaching the top and achieving your wildest dreams is simple. 

Figure out where you want to go, what it’ll take to get there and chart a plan to make it happen. 

That’s a simple formula, but it’s not an easy one.

It requires lots and lots of hard work. 

Most of all it requires discipline. 

The discipline to:

• focus over a long period of time. 
• drill down into the details. 
• reshape and reform your every habit and routine.  

It takes doing your best at everything you do; reading, working out, laundry, loading the dishwasher, making good food choices, and listening to your spouse. 

It’s a simple road, but the hardest one you’ll ever walk. 

That’s why most people avoid it. 

Hard work and discipline aren’t what they’re looking for. Most people want a quick fix and an easy win. 

But your not most people. You have a drive and commitment to excellence that bewilders the common man. 

You get up and get after it all day because you’re chasing down excellence like a lion on the Serengeti. 

Every decision and every moment bring you closer and closer to victory. 

A victory that isn't bought, or negotiated for. But one requiring character, strength, and patience. 

A victory paid for in the small daily habits of a disciplined life.