If you want to have success in your life, you have to put in the work.

I heard (or read) this recently “If you want to have success in your life, you have to put in the work” and it reminded me of a conversation I recently had with a friend.

I was talking to this friend, who is a very successful business man, and he was telling me that someone had recently told him: “when life hands you lemons, you know how to make lemonade.” He corrected their statement like this… No, when life hands me lemons, I cut the lemon open, get the seeds out, plant them, grow lemon trees, sell the lemons I’ve grown to the retailers, all while continuing to cultivate and harvest more lemons.

My friend didn’t become successful overnight. He didn’t win the lottery. He didn’t get where he is by accident. He has worked hard to be where he is today, it wasn’t easy for him. It may look like it’s easy for him now, because others can see him enjoy the fruits of his labor.

The truth is, most of us just want the rewards, but we don’t want to do the work associated with creating or reaping the reward. The reason success doesn’t come easy to you is because success doesn’t come easy to anyone. Success comes by hard work and perseverance. You won’t be successful in your career, health, family, or finances until you decide you are ready to do what it takes.

If you hired me as your personal trainer to teach you how to lose weight, and I told you to stop eating junk food and to get on the treadmill, but then you continued to eat the junk and refused to get your butt on the treadmill, you can’t get mad at me if you never lose any weight!

I have had people hire me as their debt coach and then cancel their membership after a few months because they aren’t seeing results. Can I just tell you, very plainly, that I can’t make you get out of debt. If I show you what to do and you refuse to do it, then I can’t help you. You can pay me to coach you forever, and you still won’t get results if you won’t do the work. I can’t decide for you that you are ready to get out of debt. You have to decide for yourself that you are ready to change your life and accept the coaching. The only people that I can help are the ones that want to change and are willing to put in the work.