Believing in yourself is not enough.

In order to achieve any great work, you must first believe it’s actually possible. Without belief, you will never get over the fear, and the self-doubt that holds you back.

Belief is essential, but belief by itself will get you nowhere.  Without work you will fall short of your goals every time.

What is stopping you from reaching your goals?  Perhaps it’s the amount of work you are putting in.  Can you honestly say you are giving 100%?    This means giving 100%….100% of the time!

There are days you don’t feel like working hard.  If you work hard only on the days you feel like it, you’re eventually going to fall short.  Dreaming big is great; believing in yourself is great…but you must have the work to match your dreams and belief.

The student who believes in himself as he walks into the classroom unprepared for the test he is about to take will probably not like the results.

An athlete who dreams of accomplishing big goals, but doesn’t give his all towards those dreams will most likely fall short.

An entrepreneur would fail miserably if he believed in himself, yet didn’t put in the work necessary to build his business.

There are many things in life beyond your control, but the amount of effort you give is not one of them.  You can’t always control the outcome of a situation, but you can always control your level of effort.

I’ve learned over the years, that when most people think they are working hard…they can work harder.  They often have another level they can go to.

As a coach, there have been times my players think they are working hard, but they don’t realize they have more in the tank!  I have to make them understand that there is more to give, and unless they give everything they’ve got they will fall short of reaching the goals and dreams they have for the season.

It’s easy to just settle…to get into a rut of giving less than your best.  Don’t settle for 70%, 80%, or 90% effort and then think you’re giving everything.  Evaluate the areas of your life where you are falling short, and determine if there is more to give.

Someone once said, “You can’t have a million dollar dream with a minimum wage work ethic.”

People talk about the grind…they talk about doing great things, but great things are a result of great effort, sustained over a period of time.  The size of your effort must match the size of your dreams.

John Wooden said, “Success is peace of mind, which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your absolute best to become the best you are capable of becoming.”

Success lies in the amount of effort you give.  It’s not about the results.   Most people look at the results to determine success.  They look at the final score of the game, the result of the business deal, the mark on a test, or the amount of money in the bank.

True success lies in knowing you did everything possible.  Sometimes you will fall short, but if you give absolutely everything, then you can feel good because there was simply nothing else you could do.  The problem is, most people don’t do literally everything possible.

What about you? Are you doing everything possible?

Determine today what more you can do.  And before you dismiss with, “I’m already doing everything I possibly can”, make sure you are being completely honest with yourself.   Perhaps like the athletes I coach, there are times when you don’t realize you’ve got more in the tank.

Consider your time management, consider your priorities, consider your associations, consider everything in your life, and see if there are areas where you can give more.

Remember the one thing you can always control is your effort!