It’s a cold winter morning and you want to spend it lazily on your warm bed but you have to move out of your comfort zone to complete an assignment. Then you somehow convince yourself that you are a student and have to study so that you can enjoy later in life. We all did it at some time or the other and got things done. How many times have we been told from our childhood to work hard at the present and secure an easy or comfortable life? I vividly remember my parents and relatives motivating me to study hard for exams since I was in primary level. I believed and did as per expected. It was just some months ago, I realized that the life I was searching for will never arrive. Simultaneously I found out that the lives of all great men were full of trouble, grief and challenges. They were happy and satisfied working tremendously towards achieving a goal. It was unusual for me who always searched for happiness outside diligence. I was saddened as my expectations of cozy life turned into disappointment but something more important has to arrive to ignite my inner self.

I read nonfiction books and autobiographies a lot. On a Saturday afternoon while I was reading the book “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Dr. Stephen Covey, I found out that while discussing his third habit about Time Management  “Put First Things First”, he took the reference of an essay by Albert  E. N. Gray titled “The Common Denominator of Success.” In this essay Albert E.N. Gray conveys the message that the successful people have the habit of doing things that failures do not like to do. They do not like to do it either but their disliking is subordinated to the strength of their purpose. Successful people are driven by the desire for pleasing results whereas failures are driven by the desire for pleasing methods. Everyone likes to win but most people are not willing to put in the efforts and discipline to win. A quote by Michelangelo is more significant here: “If only people knew how hard I have to work to gain my mastery, it would not seem wonderful at all.”

The issues were deeper. And for me who almost always worked on mood and fancies, it was absurd at first. I felt like - "Come on, how could a man working more than sixteen hours a day manage to have fun?" Until then fun in life for me was activities other than work or study. That definition changed. It had to. Unlike what so called liberal thinkers interpret lack of discipline as freedom, discipline is the only way to get things done. Self discipline makes us not to succumb to what we want but do what ought to be done restricting our emotions to drive our actions. An athlete does not always like hours of daily training, we students do not always find study fascinating. But they do, we do because whether we like it or not it has to be done and that is the miracle of self discipline. Steve Jobs said – “Do what you love”. The reverse is just as true “Love what you do”. Although I am doing what I love, I would not still have some magic pills to make me ready and inspired every day. In many cases I may hate what I am doing for a time being but as long as I am doing what I have to, it’s the best thing whether I like it or not. The main lesson I learnt was that success lies in the principle of resist or persist till it becomes habitual. Are all those successful people in their fields of endeavor somehow blessed with good fortune to enjoy the tedious activities and not tempted by easier, more comfortable alternatives? I am sure they all were. It’s easy to be an average, but tough to be the best and toughness is a choice.