Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback and Super Bowl MVP, Roger Staubach, once said, “Spectacular achievements come from unspectacular preparation.” Most of us love to see our favourite athletes excel on the playing field, but what we don’t always realize is that success there came from arduous preparation elsewhere.
Long practices when nobody but the coach was watching, or pre-dawn workouts when even the birds weren’t up yet are the ingredients for achievement. Unfortunately, most people do not want to pay the price it costs for spectacular achievement because it’s hard work.
Instead, they settle for mediocrity where they join the multitudes in the middle of the pack. I am not talking about ability here. I am talking about those who already have ability but are underachieving due to laziness and a lack of commitment to work hard toward excellence. Proverbs 12:24 says, “Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in slave labour.” What tasks do you have in front of you today? Is there a drive to do your best or are you tempted to just do the minimum to get by?
A month has already gone by since the summer ended and we are back to usual patterns and regular routines at school and work. If you’re really feeling bold then I challenge you to ask your fellow teammates or coworkers to rate your performance and work ethic. Sometimes humble pie is the choice menu item on the diet of doing better.