“Diligence is not easy, but we
can't reach our goals without it.”
Henry Cloud
What is the
one thing we most need if we desire success in any significant area of life?
To answer
that question, you can think about a particular quality that achievers in all
walks of life have in common.
The answer I
choose is diligence.
Though,
there may be more than one answer, but the indisputable fact is this:
disciplined diligence belongs to the highest rank of very few factors that are
indispensable to winning in any area of life.
Diligence is
an absolutely essential factor for peak achievement whether we are looking at science,
arts, business and even religion.
And the
concept is quite simple to explain but pretty difficult to embrace for most
people; it comes down to doing the critical things we need to do, in their
order of importance, in a consistent manner, especially on the days we don’t
feel like doing them.
With all the
natural talents in the world, we won’t get very far without the habit of
disciplined diligence, which is largely about proactively doing the difficult things
that we would ordinarily prefer to put off until later.
In other words,
success in anything is less about wishes but more about our ability to keep doing
the things that are fundamental to becoming our true best.
Diligence Turns Goals
into Reality
“Human beings are capable of
virtually limitless degradation; they are also capable of virtually limitless
improvement and achievement. Success depends on goals and on diligence in
pursuing them.”_Mas Oyama
If we want
to turn our goals into reality, we need the habit of diligence; the discipline
to do the things we know we should do, to the best of our ability, even when we
thinly feel like doing them.
In this
direction, Dave Ramsey, the author of, ‘the Legacy Journey’ explains the
concept further in three simple sentences. He says:
“Work is
doing it.
Discipline
is doing it every day.
Diligence is
doing it well every day.”
You see,
disciplined diligence is the way to realizing our loftiest ambitions.
Again, it is
not about once in a while intensity of work but it is about unremitting
consistency at the basic fundamentals of our game.
Once you
understand and accept this truth, the next step is to inculcate the habit of
diligence into the core fabric of your character.
If you do,
then you will be able to set and achieve almost any goal that you deeply
desire.
