3 Tips For Turning Hard Work Into The Taste Of Victory

“The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.” – Vince Lombardi

I love quotes. Actually, I love quotes that are one sentence long and apply to multiple areas of my life. In other words, I love one-liners like this one from Vince Lombardi, the famous late coach of the Green Bay Packers.

Success comes before work—but only in the dictionary! It applies to almost everything in my life, and in yours as well.

It applies to my writing. It applies to my pastoring of a church. It applies to my career, to my hobbies, and to the parenting of my five young children. And yes, it applies to me being the kind of husband that my beautiful wife deserves.

Everybody wants to savor the taste of victory, but not everyone is willing to do what it takes to get it. That’s what so very often separates the have’s from the have not’s. Success has an invigorating tone to it, but work often reminds us of sweat, frustration, long hours, and minimum wage.

But does it have to be that way?

I enjoy being a writer, but with all honesty I can say that I actually enjoy having written rather than the process of writing. I savor the sweetness of a finished page, but the blank whiteness of a new one makes me quiver like a bashful freshman on the first day of high school.

Why is that?

If I were an Olympic gymnast, getting handed the gold medal by default (because no one else bothered to show up!) wouldn’t mean as much compared to earning it myself by sticking the landing. It is the blood, sweat, and tears that make the taste of victory so exhilarating. The work to get there doesn’t make the final result any less satisfying. In fact, it is the initial work of preparation that makes success all the more gratifying.

The change that needs to occur, then, is that we need to reprioritize our goals and habits. We need to understand that the work we put into the journey is just as important as the destination itself. And when this switch occurs in our thinking, success will soon be standing on our doorstep begging to come in.

Here are 3 tips for turning hard work into the taste of victory. These 3 tips should help you to realize that work and success are loving marriage partners, not foes on a battlefield.

1. Rarely Do Sluggards Trip And Fall Into The Winner’s Circle. I enjoy(ed) watching television, but the tube hinders my activity. I enjoy surfing the internet, but I can’t finish my novel with the click of a mouse. Laziness breeds failure. Winner’s win. Losers watch the highlights on television late at night.

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[stextbox id=”custom”]Hey, where are tips #2 and #3? Gotcha! There are two more tips but you’ll have to click here to read them, because the rest of this article is over at Teri Johnson‘s blog where I’m guest posting today. Teri’s blog is called ‘Keeping It Personal’ and I’m pretty sure you’re going to love what you find there. So go ahead and click the link below to read tips #2 and #3. Enjoy![/stextbox]

3 Tips For Turning Hard Work Into The Thrill Of Success

* Image credit:  justinhenry (Creative Commons)