Uncompromising Dedication

What is your level of dedication? Is dedication necessary for success? If so, how dedicated should one be if they are going to succeed? Can a person succeed with half-hearted dedication? The answer is yes, if the task before them requires little or no dedication. However, if the challenge is daunting and extremely difficult, which in most cases are the battles worth fighting; it will take everything in a person to succeed.

Dedication can never be categorized as a neutral void in the middle. You are either dedicated or you’re not; there is no in-between. Dedication is vital for success in anything you do, but especially in whatever your ultimate life pursuit may be.

Dedication is determined by the hours upon hours spent honing in on your craft. A professional athlete understands that the game they play is so competitive, and the margin for error is so slim, that if they are not dedicated to improving themselves to perform at the highest level of their game; they will not last long playing their particular sport. As great as talent is, it is not always enough to succeed. Another person’s natural talent may be greater than yours, but their heart and dedication may be diminutive.

I would love to tell you there are shortcuts to succeeding in life, business, or whatever sport you may be presently engaged in, but the truth of the matter is there are none. If success is what you genuinely want in life, it must, [not should], be pursued with a phenomenal amount of fortitude and dedication. Don’t misunderstand me, winning isn’t everything, but it is the most desired outcome for a goal oriented person, or any competitive athlete who is actually driven to succeed in life or business.

Dedication involves courage which is the gap between knowing the right thing and doing it. You really don’t choose courage and dedication; it chooses you because of your undying devotion to succeed in whatever the mandate laid upon you. It is an empowering decision to stand and fight rather than run; to persevere rather than quit. Dedication is refusing to overlook a difficult challenge standing in your path to prevent you from reaching your goal and choosing to move forward rather than remain stagnate.

What is dedication? It is a very strong mental and emotional support for, or loyalty to someone or something or a cause. It is not a desire to conquer or rule another person; instead, it is a deep intrinsic desire to conquer oneself and defeat one’s own fears. I believe and have often said people are generally one quality decision away from accomplishing any goal, achieving any personal desire or obtaining anything they want in life.

Dedication is not only an undying devotion to a particular cause or purpose, but a commitment to thrive and live out ones determination despite the cost. It is not the process of deciding to try or pursue something until it becomes difficult. The person of a dedicated quality mindset, who lives by their personal convictions, is no longer flexible concerning their life assignment; however, they may be flexible concerning their methods. Without preparation and attention to detail, one’s actions will not amount to courage. It takes courage and dedication to push through the difficulties of life and to maintain a positive mental attitude. Some people may not understand your relentless drive to do what you do on a daily basis, but they will appreciate it.

John is the kind of guy you love to hate, though not in a bad way. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, “If I were any better, I would be twins!” He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, John was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.

Seeing his style really made me curious, so one day I went up to John and asked him, “I don’t get it. You can’t be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?” John replied, “Each morning I wake up and say to myself, ‘You have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or you can choose to be in a bad mood.’ I choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life.”

“Yeah, right, it’s not that easy,” I protested.

“Yes, it is,” John said. “Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It’s your choice how you live your life.”

I reflected on what John said. Soon after, I left the Soar Industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I decided to choose life instead of reacting to it.

Several years later, I heard that John was involved in a serious accident, falling some 60 feet from a communications tower. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, John was released from the hospital with rods placed in his back. I saw John about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied. “If I were any better, I’d be twins. Would you like to see my scars?”

I declined to see his wounds, but I did ask him what had gone through his mind as the accident took place. “The first thing that went through my mind was the well-being of my soon to be born daughter, “John replied.” Then, as I lay on the ground, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or I could choose to die. I chose to live.”

“Weren’t you scared? Did you lose consciousness?” I asked.

John continued, “The paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the ER and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read ‘He’s a dead man.’ I knew I needed to take action.”

“What did you do?” I asked.

“Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me,” said John. “She asked if I was allergic to anything.” ‘Yes’, I replied. The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, ‘Gravity.’ Over their laughter, I told them, ‘I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead’.” John lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of the amazing attitude that he embodied as a result of his dedication to being a positive person. I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully, however, dedication is required.

Recommended Reading:

I frequently say, “Readers are leaders and leaders are readers.” I strongly believe this statement; therefore, I have taken the time to recommend reading material that I believe will greatly benefit your life and business endeavors. Click the images to see more information or to order the books from Amazon.com.