As much as we’d all like it to, success doesn’t happen overnight. As bestselling author Seth Godin puts it:
“You don’t win an Olympic gold medal with a few weeks of intensive training. There’s no such thing as an overnight opera sensation. Every great company, every great brand, and every great career has been built in exactly the same way: bit by bit, step by step, little by little.”
Instead of expecting success to fall into our laps, we have to be committed to hard work, consistency and perseverance. Committed people share certain traits that make them committed to their passions, whether it’s football, their education, their career or their families. Committed people are:
- Controversial
Committed people value their passions strongly and move toward their goals with full force. Because they are so committed to their passions, they don’t care about the disapproval of others. They are able to move forward toward their goals without fear of what people may think of them.
- Loyal
Committed people have priorities and they stick to those priorities. They develop a routine that allows them to slowly and steadily work toward their goals. They are loyal to their families, their friends, their team, their sport and themselves because they are determined to succeed.
- Dreamers
Committed people are committed and loyal to very specific goals, whether it’s winning the Heisman Trophy, beating a personal record or becoming a doctor. Committed people constantly make new goals and are always striving to push their boundaries and achieve more.
- Tough
People who are committed work hard out of habit and out of loyalty. They have a unique endurance that allows them to physically keep going because they are mentally wired to work endlessly toward their dreams. In other words, their workload doesn’t seem overwhelming because they wholeheartedly want to do it.
- Happy
Above all, committed people are truly happy because they have a higher purpose to live for. Each day is one step forward toward achieving their goals and dreams, and they feel fulfilled knowing that they are always moving forward.
The Mizzou Football Family knows commitment well. They’ve all made the choice to prioritize their team, their education and their sport. They know that the season doesn’t start with the first game; it starts months before with hours of practice, cross training, mental preparation and team bonding. Currently the team is in summer training regimen in preparation for the upcoming 2014 season.
About the Quote:
Seth Godin is a bestselling author of titles including Linchpin, Purple Cow, Tribes and The Icarus Deception. He is also the founder of Squidoo, a website that allows users to easily create single personalized web pages. This quote appearedina 2003 article that Godin wrote for Fast Company magazine.
