As a little kid, did doing great things always seem easy to you? They did to me.
And doing little things well, excellently, always hard. Ugh, terribly hard.
Now, as an adult, the latter still holds true, and as for greatness, well, if you can’t be great instantly, forget it.
Lately I’ve re-realized that being great, being excellent in what you do needs both: a desire to be great, and willingness to embrace the hard work. A whole lot of work. A whole lot of consistent work.
Being great in the long run, Eternity, also involves a constant awareness of one’s relation to God in all of this. However, today’s post focuses on success coming only from consistent hard work.
Our world of instant gratification hides this truth from us.
Constantly showing up, over and over again, to do the same old thing, that is hard.
Why is that so?
Maybe it’s because the little things are boring, not flashy, unseen by those from whom we crave attention.
“It’s what you do in the dark that puts you in the light,” Olympic champion Michael Phelps is quoted as saying in a YouTube video as the camera flashes back to all the workouts, dieting, injuries, treatment, running, training, practicing over the years that enabled him to even have a chance at the gold.
Dwayne Johnson puts another spin on the constant showing up, over and over again: “Success isn’t always about greatness. It’s about consistency. Consistent hard work leads to success. Greatness will come.”
The tutor of Alexander the Great said that “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.” (That was Aristotle by the way.)
Do you ever give yourself pep talks? I do. This is one of my internal ones. It’s on repeat right now because of the journey in the commitment I’ve made to art.
Growing in the art realm is a real commitment now, and it’s scary how much is to be learned. Almost daunting. But I think that’s good; it keeps you humble.
There are some days where you wonder if I should keep up the same daily habits, skip a few blog posts, or not follow up on necessary research for a project.
That conversation must be given no room in the ol’ noggin.
Repeatedly showing up, again and again, no matter what I feel like, when no one is watching, when no one is encouraging, will and must happen. It is non negotiable. I am forging a habit of fortitude, strength, and hopefully excellence.
Hope you enjoyed that, dear readers. Please like, subscribe, and share! Thank-you for reading and good luck with your grinding away in the darkness!
#excellence #bebest #fortitude #persevere #strength #consistence #consistency #art #watercolors #farriers #peptalk
Bridget Bryan 