You don’t grow the most walking through roses and smelling sweet perfume,
you grow the most in the crucible of difficulty and challenge. 
Are you facing challenges right now?
Do you often wonder when it will all end?
Recently I was doing a business consulting session with a very successful entrepreneur. Her life and business seemed to be falling apart. She was divorced, her business lost $50,000.00 in revenue for the year so far, and she gained 20 pounds in the process.
Can you relate at some level?
The big black truck pulls up at each of our doorsteps.
If yours hasn’t arrived yet just give it time. It’s best to develop as much resilience,
resourcefulness and creativity as possible before it arrives.
She asked me, “When does it end?”
My honest and instantaneous answer was, “Never.”
Not popular.
I wish I had better news.
But then again, no.
You see the fact, is that you grow the most, you learn the most, you expand the most, and you just out and out do your best work when you’re facing adversity and challenge.
Everybody wants to be in great shape but no one wants to workout. Likewise, everyone wants to be super-successful and fulfilled but they don’t want to put in the time, money and effort. There is no quick fix in life.
Look, you want adversity and challenge in your life.
That doesn’t mean you’ll like it.
You probably won’t.
But you like the results of consistent effort over time.
When you realize what effort does to strengthen your mental and emotional commitment muscle you’ll learn it’s actually your greatest ally.
Adversity is your greatest ally. Those who aren’t committed will quit.
If you’re going to quit when it hurts then don’t even start.
So realize three things:
- Adversity is your greatest ally; not because it feels great, it doesn’t. But because it makes you become
You see all the greats have experienced “so-called failure and set-back” The launch of the Apple watch was totally botched in 2015 and they were able to only fulfill 22% of their orders due to faulty technology.
A June 15, 2015 Headlined <Too Bad Steve Jobs is Not Around> stated that the launch of Apple Music was underwhelming and disappointing. Users comparing Apple Music to Pandora stated it was “clunky and confusing, and Pandora was much better.”
It’s just a fact that when you’re pushing new territory and exploring new ground you’re not always going to be at the top of your game.
Adversity is your greatest ally; not because it feels great, it doesn’t.
But because it makes you become great.
- You want adversity because it separates the master from the mediocre.
You see, the reality is that most will quit when confronted with tremendous adversity and challenge.
Let that not be you.
The good news is that because most will quit, it narrows and cleans out the playing field. Only those with the perseverance and tenacity and commitment to continue can ever hope to obtain a level of mastery.
The so-called competition gets culled out by life; and over time you breathe the rare-air that most never will.
After ten years and ten thousand hours, truck-loads of perseverance, tenacity and commitment…
people can say you’re an overnight success. 
When The Secret came out and took the world by storm in 2006, it catapulted me to major prominence.
Many stated, “Man, this James Arthur Ray just came out of nowhere.”
Right.
What they didn’t realize is that it took me nearly twenty years of hustle and grind to become an overnight success.
Do you want to learn the Secrets to Stratospheric Success and Ultimate Performance? Read here.
The true test of character is not holding the vision
when you see a light at the end of the tunnel. The true test of character and commitment
is holding the vision when you don’t see the light.
Don’t be fooled otherwise.
- Decide and determine in advance that it’s going to hurt and burn to achieve your intention. That way you won’t quit when it does.
If you’re going to quit when it hurts then please don’t waste your time even starting.
Seriously.
It is a complete waste of time.
The athlete knows that all the reps that get her to the last one or two, those one or two that you can barely make it through, are just warm ups.
They’re just preparations for the ones that truly count.
When it starts burning that’s when it starts counting.
That’s how champions are made.
~ Arnold Schwarzenegger
Set your intention.
Decide what you have to sacrifice to achieve it.
Get busy with the work.
Stay Awake, Love Life and Be Epic!
James
