There are no “gimmes” in real life. There are no concessions for those who seek success: just as the successful golfer doesn’t pick up his ball before putting out, so too a person striving for success doesn’t seek any concessions regardless of the challenge. No matter if one is pursuing physical, mental, spiritual, or financial goals, the road to success is void of gratuitous gimmes.
Someone who is serious about losing weight or becoming better conditioned will not find success in a pill or a bottle or an exercise that doesn’t stress the body. The overweight and out-of-conditioned person must face the fact that pain is the result of sacrifice and sacrifice leads to success. It isn’t easy to change one’s diet from the typical American fare to a diet, lower in calories and fat. Cheeseburgers taste better than soy burgers, malts better than no-fat milk. But, the woman whose goal is to shed ten, twenty, or thirty pounds, needs to realize that sacrifice will be necessary.
Few athletes expect to reach the pinnacle of success by sitting in front of a television most of the day. To become the best they can be, the runner must train, the golfer must practice and the football lineman must increase his strength. In all cases, they must sacrifice. What goal would be worth reaching if just anyone could attain it? Even the social runner trains, if not for speed or endurance, at least for health. As one who has trained for and completed three marathons, I know from experience the sacrifice required to complete a marathon in the less-than-world class time of four hours. Yet, I also know that the typical couch potato can not do what I and many others have done, unless of course, they arise from the couch and run.
Running is not without discomfort. Discomfort can be caused by weather—too hot, too cold—or it can be caused by pain and soreness, especially in the lower legs. People run through their discomfort just as a golfer accepts the discomfort of hitting thousands of golf balls on the practice range. No pain, no gain. How true it is. Had I not been able to run through the pain of fifteen and twenty mile training runs, I would never have been able to complete a twenty-six mile race. My success would not have been worth it had I not experienced the pain of training.
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