Work Harder! That is a statement I find myself repeating daily. People often wonder what makes one person better at a certain task than others. There is a truly simple answer, practice.
Natural ability is a myth. With the exception of physical limitations, all ability is gained through practice. No infant is born with the innate ability to walk. No musician picks up an instrument for the first time and performs a flawless number. Everything ‘great' is preceded by countless not-so-great attempts.
The human race is a term that to some is a simple definition of our status as homosapiens. To me, it is a bit more literal. I recognize that there are billions of people in this world, all of whom want the same things I do. What sets certain individuals apart from the pack is their willingness to work harder than the rest. So for me, it's the race of humans. Who wants to work harder? Who wants to spend that extra effort day after day to be the best at what they do. Someone who doesn't work as hard as I do does not deserve the same things I deserve, just as I do not deserve the same benefits of the people who work harder than I am willing to.
I hear complaints from people about the state of their lives, every argument of which never focuses on their lack of effort. It is always the result of some innocuous outside influence. Bunk. People who work hard, achieve more. Good things happen to good people who work hard. Being good isn't enough. There are lots of "good" people, if the definition of "good" can be simplified to "not being bad". Spend a few more hours with your face buried in a book rather than a pint of beer. Unless, of course, your goal is to be the best drinker on earth.
Everything that has gone right in my life happened to me when I went the extra mile. Every real accomplishment didn't come from the 8 to 5 daily grind. Good things happened during the hundred-hour weeks of work. Times when 8 to 5 wouldn't have been enough to get the job done, allowing the opportunity to pass right by.
There have been many times I have explained to people that epiphanies have come to me in my sleep. Though I was not lying, this is not a result of me having some abnormal super power. It is a result of me wrapping my mind so deeply around a problem that I am consumed by it even during my few hours of sleep.
I like to think that everything that has happened to me in my life, I've earned. This, of course, includes all of the bad things. For many years my interests were simply in having fun, so my career took a nose-dive. Then I focused entirely on work which destroyed countless relationships, as well as my physical health. So while balance has become important, I have recognized that every decision comes with consequences; consequences which I hope to never complain about.
People make choices in their lives. If your choice is to pursue a career or path in your life that will never financially stabilize, you have no right to complain about finances. You have chosen to sacrifice financial success for your love or interest in what it is you do. It is not society's responsibility to fill in for your financial woes. If you choose to sacrifice your personal life for professional glory, then do not cry about your lack of intimacy. You chose that path. Just realize that everything requires hard work. Even if an individual's goal in life is to be the best parent their child could have, then they must work for it.
This is not to say that I am better or worse than anyone else in this world. What I am attempting to say is that I take responsibility for what happens in my life. I will not give up, I will not rest until I am the best I can be at what I do, regardless of what this life throws at me. The best I can be at anything will require a lifetime of effort. So I suppose it is a valid assumption to say that I will only achieve this in the moment immediately before my death.
I truly wish more people would take responsibility for their lives.