Uphill all the way

I heard John Maxwell say last week that many people have "uphill hopes, but downhill habits."  The ten-thousand people in the audience collectively gasped when he said it because we all knew how true the observation was.  Life is, as Maxwell continued, uphill all the way.  There is no accidental success. 

I have thought about this a lot this year.  In the second year of the role I am currently in, I naively thought things would get a little easier.  They haven't.  Further, I have thought about, and written about, the internal struggle that often ensues.  Often the most difficult hater to overcome is the one living inside my head.  It does everything in its power to discourage me and get me distracted.  I bet many of you battle a similar voice inside your heads as well.

But here is the deal, the reality John Maxwell is observing is also a means for hope.  If success is not accidental, then we can do something about our position in life. We have a say.  Our effort still matters.  And we can tell that voice to shove it. 

The bad news is that this means we have to go to work, and work can be painful. 

Have you ever foam rolled? Have you ever felt the agony of a hollow, hard, "foam" (it feels more like concrete) rolling up and down your muscle fibers?  This agony, and it really is agony, serves a vital purpose in helping one become flexible.  The irony is that in order to become flexible, you first have to first experience the pain of loosening the fibers up.  

Life is this way, too.  

Michael Phelps demonstrates this.  All we see is the end result.  In fact, it is tempting to think he is just "gifted." But what about the work he puts in?  

Not convinced?  How about a relatively unknown PGA golfer, Ben Crane?  Crane may not be a household name to many, but with 5 career wins since 2003, he has become a mainstay on the tour. To achieve this, Ben claims he has practiced over 30,000 hours in his professional career.  Let's put this figure into context: 

30,000 hours = 1,250 days = approx 3.4 years. 

But Ben is just "gifted," isn't he? 

Life is uphill. 

Choose now if you are taking the easy road or the hard one.