You have to do the hard things.

• You have to make the call you’re afraid to make.
• You have to get up earlier than you want to get up.
• You have to give more than you get in return right away.
• You have to care more about others than they care about you.
• You have to fight when you are already injured, bloody, and sore.
• You have to feel unsure and insecure when playing it safe seems smarter.
• You have to lead when no one else is following you yet.
• You have to invest in yourself even though no one else is.
• You have to look like a fool while you’re looking for answers you don’t have.
• You have to grind out the details when it’s easier to shrug them off.
• You have to deliver results when making excuses is an option.
• You have to search for your own explanations even when you’re told to accept the “facts.”
• You have to make mistakes and look like an idiot.
• You have to try, fail and try again.
• You have to run faster even though you’re out of breath.
• You have to be kind to people who have been cruel to you.
• You have to meet deadlines that are unreasonable and deliver results that are unparalleled.
• You have to be accountable for your actions even when things go wrong.
• You have to keep moving towards where you want to be no matter what’s in front of you.

That's a LOT of things.

Too many to remember.

Can we distill this down to work hard, be kind, and never give up?

Yes, for you, but maybe some need to get these down one by one ;)

Oh, I see. It's not a list to memorize; it's a checklist to gauge how you're doing.

Work smart, be kind to everyone, and know when to quit and change strategies --- in other words, know when you're david, and know when you're goliath. :)

But you will always be David!

Once you learn it, and have it down, then you shouldn't have to revisit it ;)  It's a big list to incorporate into life all at once, easy to backslide too!

I see. This is about making habits that are likely to lead to success.

When you diverge from a habit, get back on track!

I like the distilled version.  Success is a personal thing and some points on the checklist are debatable...

Yes, so first and foremost, figure out which success it is you want.

Ahh, yes indeed....which success?  Can a person pursue more than one success?  Is it this or is it that?  Or, can there be a balance among multiple pursuits called success?  For some, the perfect balance (i.e. the ultimate success) between black and white can be living color...(or at least the pursuit of it....).....can success be the freedom to pursue and not a result?  Perhaps too much wine tonight....

It's difficult enough to do one thing well.

So I'd say yes, pick one success definition and drive toward that.

I go back to the distilled version of “the hard things you need to do to be successful” you started with because it’s simple and it applies to most success paths.  It’s also good advice, “Work hard, be kind, and never give up!” 

The term success is often paired with failure.  It’s often used to keep score – either personally or among others.  It has similarities to win or lose too. 

The part about success that’s not so simple is always being clear about our relative priorities among the various success paths we find ourselves on.   Therefore, I don’t think that one success definition applies across the board. 

So, at the end of the day, is it more about the accumulated successes and failures we experience?  Or, is it the journey itself and how we grow from it?  I will leave it here for now….

You make some great points.

If pay too much attention to the successes we might forget to enjoy the journey.

If we rush away the failures we rush away large swathes of time from our lives.

I think it is the journey itself and how we grow from it that we should always be mindful of.

Well put!  We are in agreement... 

And now I look forward to coming back to this page at a future date.

Yes, maybe success and failure aren't so black and white, maybe they are shades of grey, and are always moving you along, on your path of life.

I think that is very well said, Janill.