It’s a common saying: “if it were easy, everyone would do it.” This is a truism that cannot be overstated. John Maxwell puts it another way: “Everything worthwhile is uphill.” That means anything worth having, anything worth your effort is going to be hard. Not “could be tough”, not “should be easy.” No, it’s important to recognize right up front that anything worth having is going to take work and effort to achieve. What you want is at the top of the hill, you’re going to have to climb that hill to claim it.

This seems simple but so many of us have lofty desires but “downhill” habits. We want the achievement but not the pain. It’s important to remember, the achievement comes with the pain. They are not separate.