{"id":105,"date":"2008-02-14T10:57:02","date_gmt":"2008-02-14T16:57:02","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2017-08-07T15:11:51","modified_gmt":"2017-08-07T20:11:51","slug":"the-road-to-success-comes-through-hard-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesportjournal.org\/article\/the-road-to-success-comes-through-hard-work\/","title":{"rendered":"The road to success comes through hard work, determination, and personal sacrifice"},"content":{"rendered":"
Submitted by: Coach Duane Bemis M.Ed.<\/div>\n

I
\nwould like to break this winning formula down into “easy
\nto chew” bite-sized chunks. In doing so, we will look
\nat four smaller nuggets of truth. The first nugget is: “THE
\nROAD TO SUCCESS,” the second is: “HARD WORK,”
\nthe third: “DETERMINATION,” and the fourth nugget
\nworthy of a closer look is: “PERSONAL SACRIFICE.”
\nFor our conclusion, I will ask, “Who will answer this
\ncall?”<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Let
\nus get started with the first nugget of truth, “THE ROAD
\nTO SUCCESS.” The road to success starts within a heart
\nthat wants to be the best at something–a heart, mind, and
\nsoul that does not want to be ordinary, but extraordinary.
\nThese words of hope come from the roots of our country’s heritage
\nwhere ordinary people, who have a dream, work hard to achieve.
\nLet these words of truth breathe life into the core of your
\nbones. Winners never look for the easy way out. They simply
\nlook at the impossible, and say to themselves to set their
\nheart upon this lofty dream and chase after it with their
\nwhole heart. The road to success is narrow, and many will
\nmiss it because the road to failure is broad and easy. Plant
\nyour feet firmly upon the rock of your desire to become the
\nbest. It is easy to fail; do not work hard, and do not have
\na dream–that is all it takes. However, that is all right,
\nbecause somewhere out there is an ordinary person hoping that
\nis exactly what you are doing–nothing. Yes, the road to an
\naverage, mediocre life is easy, but for those who have a dream,
\nthe road to success is another story. Count the cost before
\nyou start down this road; for in a month, or in a year will
\nyou still be fighting to become the best? Oh, but the road
\nto success is filled with life, happiness, and sweet, sweet
\nvictory! Are you ready to travel down this road to success
\nno matter what the price? Learn to enjoy the journey and be
\ncommitted to the long haul to achieve your heart’s desire.<\/p>\n

Let
\nus now turn to the second nugget of truth, “HARD WORK.”
\nIt will take hard work on the part of anyone who wants to
\nbe the best. How much work will it take? That depends on your
\nfinal goal, or the greatness of your dream. If you want to
\nbe the best, then you are going to have to do more than others
\ndo. Kobe Bryant, in the off season, shoots 2000 times a day.
\nAre you willing to work that hard to be the best? Any ordinary
\nperson can stay ordinary, but those who will work hard, doing
\na daily routine, will become extraordinary people. Ordinary
\npeople do not just wake up one day with large, strong arms
\nor legs; they use hard work to build their muscles. There
\nis no secret here and definitely no short cuts. No one is
\nborn looking like Mr. Universe. Do you want to be bigger,
\nstronger, and faster? You must buy into this daily work ethic.
\nYou must learn to carry this method of success into every
\nrealm of your daily existence. If you will learn to reflect
\na spirit of excellence in everything you do, the hard work
\nwill become second nature to you. Make a name for yourself
\nby being the best at everything you set your mind to master.
\nBecome a daily learner, a daily reader, and educate yourself
\nin the area that you want to be the best. “HARD WORK;”
\nthere is no easy way to accomplish what no other has done.
\n“HARD WORK” built America. “HARD WORK”
\nis one element which will help you achieve your greatest dreams.
\nThe problem with our human nature is that we want everything
\nright now. We have become a “microwave society.”
\nWe want success the same way; we want it right now and we
\nwant it the easy way. Sorry, wrong answer. If you buy into
\nthis type of method for success, then you are the one who
\nprobably buys lottery tickets, hoping for your millions. The
\nodds of that happening are stacked against you; those people
\nmake a lot of money from those tickets. There is nothing that
\npays off better than good old fashioned HARD WORK!<\/p>\n

A
\nfarmer goes out and works hard to plant his crop. He waters
\nit, weeds it, and even fertilizes his field. His, “HARD
\nWORK” will pay off at harvest time. If the farmer did
\nnot water, weed, and fertilize his crop, it would yield very
\nlittle. If the athlete will not plant a crop of “HARD
\nWORK” he, too, will yield nothing for his effort. All
\nof this takes time; the farmers, as well as the athletes,
\nearn great rewards from their continual effort. With “HARD
\nWORK,” you can expect to get bigger, stronger, and faster.<\/p>\n

Let
\nus chew for a while on the next nugget of success, “DETERMINATION.”
\nAnother word that fits this section is tenacity. Never give
\nup your dreams. Set your mind, soul, and heart upon doing
\neverything necessary to become your best. Notice I said, “Your
\nbest;” learn how to become the best you are capable of.
\n“DETERMINATION” means that you look at yourself
\nand make no excuses. As you find your weak areas, attack them
\nto better yourself. One of my weak areas of life was reading.
\nI gave up all my excuses and started reading everything in
\nthe area of my interest; now I love to read. One might have
\nvery weak arms; get over it and get busy correcting the problem
\narea. Are you out of shape? Get over it and be determined
\nto change that problem. Do you have problems in Math? Get
\nover it, ask for help, and learn. Never let your emotions
\nhave the best of you. Control your emotions and do whatever
\nit takes to be the best.<\/p>\n

A
\nyoung man won a gold metal in the Olympics on the pistol rage
\nusing his right hand. He went home after the competition a
\nwinner, but he had a dream to win a second gold metal in four
\nyears. While at work, his right hand was crushed by machinery
\nto the point surgeons had to amputate his shooting hand. Our
\nyoung man was “DETERMINED,” and left himself no
\nexcuses. Our athlete went to work, developed his left hand,
\nwent back to the following Olympics, and won his second gold
\nmetal. This, my reader is “DETERMINATION” to the
\nextreme. He did not have a right hand. What is your excuse?
\nAnother high school student lost his leg, yet he plays on
\nthe line for his team. What is your excuse? I had a friend
\nwho had polio in his legs, making them both useless; however,
\nhe was on our wrestling team at my school. He would crawl
\nafter his opponents, then he would pin them. He became a wrestler
\nfor a college team. Do you have DETERMINATION?<\/p>\n

“PERSONAL
\nSACRIFICE” is next on our agenda on which to meditate.
\nWhat will it take to become the best? This section is really
\nall about making daily choices to stay on the narrow road
\nto success. Instead of another video game to exercise your
\nthumbs, buy equipment, which will help you become the best.
\nI am sure that Kobe Bryant bought a basketball instead of
\nvideo games. I am sure the man who lost his hand wanted to
\ngive up and quit, but instead went out and bought a left-handed
\ngun. Instead of doing what you want to, do what is necessary
\nto become the best. I wanted to become a better athlete at
\none point in my life, so I set a daily routine and stuck with
\nit, even when I did not feel like it. I asked my father to
\nbuild me a goal post in our back yard. I would go to the neighbors
\nand kick from their back yard, day in and day out. I won the
\nkicking position that year on the varsity squad. This is “PERSONAL
\nSACRIFICE.” Make the right choices about your diet, your
\nsleeping habits, and your friends (yes, even your friends.)
\nPlace around you people who will help you achieve your dreams.
\nSpending time with those who do drugs and want to get in trouble
\nwill carry you far away from your dreams.<\/p>\n

After
\nworking with youth for over 22 years, I see those who have
\nno vision or plan for their lives perish. However, those who
\nwill make the plans and make the personal sacrifices necessary
\nto succeed, go on in life to be successful. I started to speak
\nlife into the world of an eighth grader on the road to destruction
\nusing drugs. Since then, she has become a highly successful
\nartist, graduating from an art college with honors. There
\nwas a freshman, though once devastated by her parents’ separation,
\nhas now become an elementary school teacher. My daughter,
\nLeia, set aside her love life until she reached her goal of
\nbecoming a registered nurse. Keep your focus on the prize.
\nSet your dream, your goal in front of you, and then stay focused
\non it. My daughter will graduate from college this May, and
\nat the age of 22 is willing to think about her love life and
\nplace someone in her life with the same type of dreams.<\/p>\n

“Who
\nwill answer this call?” Those who dare to be the best
\nand are positive will answer the call. Those who answer the
\ncall are not afraid of trying to become someone special, someone
\nimportant, and someone successful. It is better to have tried
\nand failed than to have never tried. Those will answer who
\nwant their life to mean something and want to be remembered
\nfor their achievements. “Who will answer this call?”
\nThere is a call going out to all. Will you step up and answer
\nthe call to be someone of excellence? Will you, can you, or
\nare you going to step on to the road which leads to success?
\nIt does not matter where you step on to that road; it only
\nmatters that you step on to it, and are determined to never
\nget off the road once you are there. “Who will answer
\nthis call?” Few people answer this call. Will you be
\nthe one that will overcome all obstacles in your way as you
\ntravel long and hard down this narrow road? It does not matter
\nif others will answer this call; what matters are your own
\ndeep convictions. Will you answer this call of life? One additional
\nbenefit is others may follow if you show them the way through
\nyour example.<\/p>\n

I
\nhave answered this call in my life to be the best I was created
\nto be. I have been on this road since 1981, and have led many
\ndown the same road. Enjoy life by enjoying the process of
\nsuccess. Enjoy those around you as you see them progress down
\nthe same road. Rejoice with them as they rejoice with you
\nin the triumph of overcoming all the odds to become the best
\nyou can be.<\/p>\n

Coach Duane Lee Bemis M.Ed.<\/p>\n

The
\nPledge of Success<\/p>\n