There is nothing like sweat equity. I think this is why I like working incredibly hard…because there is that split second where you see that drop of sweat fall off your brow and you have a sense of pride. Have you ever seen a person not sweating at the gym? What is the point of that? Oh…I got a mediocre workout today…I’m better off. No! No, no, no, no! Die in the gym. When you die in the gym, you are reborn the second you walk out. That is just one part of sweat equity.
Another part is working in the yard, on your house, cleaning…just things like that. It may not seem like much, but having pride in the smallest things is incredibly important. A lot of the time you might hear…”don’t sweat the small stuff” but my thoughts on this is, if you can’t get the small stuff right…how can you get the big stuff right. One of the most memorable things I have heard is “if you can’t wash the dishes right…how can you expect yourself to run a fortune 500.” I always keep this in mind when I am doing things in my room or something that may seem tiny to someone else. I know I have said this before, but when you build a wall, its one brick at a time…not everything at once. If you place each brick perfectly, you will have an amazingly perfect wall at the end.
I am going climbing today for the first time since I had knee surgery and I have been working on forearms and back like crazy. But no matter how much stronger I am because of everything I have done over the past few months, if I am not focusing on the hold in front of me and what I have to do in the moment, I will have a terrible climbing day. It is good to have an idea of the route you are going to take, but once you are on the wall, you can’t really focus too much on 4-5 steps ahead.
One of the greatest lessons I have learned is to always think 2 steps ahead of your next move. Not because you are trying to manipulate situations, but you can see the outcome of your decisions. When you can see the outcome of your decisions, you can make even better choices in the moment. I always like to have one or two backup plans if things go to hell. And don’t worry…there will be times when things just absolutely fall apart. However, poor preparation creates piss poor performance. Another baseball lesson of mine. So prepare…sweat the details…and think ahead. Then, truly, nothing can stop you from achieving your goals.
Evan Sanders
The Better Man Project
Love the quote from Lombardi and you’re so right about not ignoring the finer details. Great post 🙂
Excellent post and blog!
Funny, I was thinking about the monumentally-satisfying nature of sweat equity today as I finished cleaning the bejeezes out of my fridge!
Great post. In our ‘everyone gets a trophy’ era, there’s a lot to be said in favor both of diligence and the satisfaction that comes with it.
Great message!
Love this. Gets me back in the groove. I have been lazy lately (residual from the holiday season). I admit it. I too can be a better man. Thank you so much for your inspirational writing here.
Excellent post on the value of Hard Work. It reminds me of Booker T Washington and Abraham Lincoln. They had put great emphasis on the same.
How nice it feels after a good workout, game of tennis or simple stuff like yard work, cleaning etc.
Thanks for the reminder.
Vic
In an age where people believe that they have an inalieanable right to have everything and “hardly work” – you have helped to set the record straight. Great post!
Great post. My dad always said that if you learn to do it right the first time, you don’t have to do it over and over. He was a firm believer in hard work and sweat too!
Well Said ! Beauty of Hard Work