Good opportunities don't count if you haven't done the work. Sometimes I think so much about the goals I am working toward that I forget about the work I have to do to make achieving them worthwhile.
We as people are so anxious to move forward, so hungry for an opportunity, so eager to close a deal, that we often forget about the responsibility that comes with it. We spoil our chances at something better by neglecting the work we have to do to be able to handle what we want. We sell ourselves short, sometimes making the wrong choice or the right one too soon.
By the time we realize our failure, we find ourselves right back at square one: facing the same problems we've always faced, feeling the same way we've always felt, wanting to make the same changes, tete a tete with the work we haven't done yet.
The work that you do on yourself is greater than any goal you could ever achieve. Like in grade school, if you neglect to do your own homework, you'll get held back in the same grade. You may get older, but you're going to keep getting the same knowledge checks until you can successfully pass them and move forward.
Each of us has a "Major" whether or not we're in school. None of us can complete it without first doing the prerequisites.
I may be wrong but I believe that there are many wealthy people who are poor in spirit, many couples that are miserable. Whether or not we have someone to spend time with and whether or not we've built an empire, it's all irrelevant if we haven't spent time with ourselves, built on our strengths, and addressed our weaknesses.
There is a universe in each person that often goes unrecognized, because we neglect to really see ourselves and others, for whatever reason. That means all the good and all the bad. Most times, we look in the mirror and gloss right over what we see because we're taught to assess everything from the surface. We often attribute the value of someone or something to their visual appeal and rarely do we search beyond that facade.
When I was growing up, I did many self-portraits. For as many times as I looked in the mirror, I didn't actually take the time to look at myself until I was 19 years old -- living on my own, alone in a dark high rise apartment in the middle of Montreal--and I've been working ever since.
The work that you do on yourself sets the tone for all you can achieve. It is the most pain-staking, roller coaster experience. Nevertheless, how hard you work for something is a testament to the love you have for it. So work hard on yourself and don't slack off. One thing I learned as a waitress is that if you want something enough, you have to learn to work through the exhaustion. Smile even when you don't feel like it. Follow through on change. Work hard, especially on yourself.
We can't do any good for or with others if we can't see the good in ourselves. We cannot know how to love others if we don't know how to love ourselves. We cannot grow with others if we can't grow on our own. We cannot understand success unless we've taken time to truly and honestly assess our failures. We cannot be together if we've never taken the time to be alone. We can't see the world for what it is or let alone reflect the beauty of it if we have not taken time to reflect on who we are, who we've been, and who we really want to be.