Everything great that was ever achieved was achieved by someone who was tired. Every single one of them chose to show up when they didn’t want to. They chose to give their all when all they wanted was a nap. What separates truly exceptional people from the regular Joes is a commitment to executing a plan, no matter how tired they are.
You can do that too. You can be exceptional. All it takes is working out your, “I’m going to do it anyways, even though I really don’t feel like it” muscle. Many call this trait “mental toughness”, and it is THE single most important trait you can develop to achieve what it is you want to achieve.
You won’t know you have mental toughness until you encounter days and weeks where you want to stop “showing up”. Exceptional people see those hard days like a test. Are you going to fail the test and go to bed early, or are you going to pass the test and make meaningful progress towards your definition of success. Are you going to focus at work on Friday to get meaningful work done, or are you going to start checking the college football game matchups on the clock? Are you going to get to the gym like you promised yourself, or are you going to fall prey to another “long day” and stall your progress.
Really, the choice is up to you. If you truly want to be exceptional, it takes an unrelenting commitment to the mundane. It’s a boring road filled with hundreds of tired and weary days, but if you’re willing to put in the work, you will be unstoppable.
This is day 7 of 30 in my challenge to write every day for 30 days.
Josh Newman 