I’m not talented enough. I’m not lucky enough. I’m a failure.

Have you ever had thoughts like this? Have you ever felt that life is not as glamorous as you thought it would be when you were a kid? As we get older and experience some life, we learn some hard truths that put things in perspective. The sooner you learn these lessons, the better for you, as they help you be at peace with the world and with yourself. They help you to enjoy life as it is. Life shouldn’t be conquered or won. It should be lived.

Here are some hard truths about life you need to hear.

On focus

1. The more you focus on something, the more of it you get – if you keep complaining about how miserable your life is, know that it won’t get any better. The more you focus your attention on the negatives, the more you will find them. Switch your mentality and focus on your small day-to-day successes, and suddenly you will find yourself flourishing and more satisfied with your life.
2. Pareto principle is for real – it may not be an exact science, but everyone can see the twenty-eighty rule. Twenty percent of effort leads to eighty percent of results. Twenty percent of things you do will account for eighty percent of your success. Figure out what these twenty percent are and maximize them.
3. People quit too early – we are too impatient. We want things fast, and if we encounter adversity, we give up. Nature doesn’t tolerate shortcuts, and success requires perseverance. Don’t give up too early. Patience is a virtue.
4. Success builds momentum – you won’t build momentum by working on ten different things. The real momentum gets built when you finish one thing and start the next one. You need to keep finishing stuff, not just starting more and more things. Each time you complete something, you get a jolt of good feelings and a motivation to keep going on the next thing.

On hard work

5. It is not what you say, but what you do that matters – walk the talk and hold yourself accountable for your actions. It doesn’t matter what you say if you then go and do the exact opposite. Always act with integrity and align your thoughts, words, and actions.
6. Effort and perseverance beat talent every time – don’t rely on your talent only. There are many talented people out there who never achieved anything because they never really tried. Hard work and perseverance will get you much further than natural talent. The good news is that you have it totally under your control. You can accomplish a lot regardless of whether you’ve got any talent or not.
7. Anything worth doing takes years – stop taking shortcuts and don’t expect to reach your goals tomorrow. Most of the things you really care about will take a long time to achieve. Don’t give up too early.
8. You can create luck – luck comes to those who don’t wait for it. Instead, learn to work hard, persevere, take on new opportunities, and you will create your own luck. These are the only prerequisites you need to become lucky.
9. Passion is not found – it is developed. The more effort you put into something, the better skills you develop, the more passionate you become as a result. Passion is created by mastery. Mastery is created by deliberate practice and grit. Grit it out, and motivation and passion come later.

That’s it. What other hard truths about life related to focus and hard work have you learned? What have you discovered as you got older that surprised you, and you wish you knew it when you were younger? Comment below.

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