Put the word HARD back into your life

Are there times when life feels too comfortable? You've got a cushy job, a nice house, a good family, great friends, not to mention many amazing appliances. The magic potion that's supposed to make you extremely happy... and you're miserable. You peel your life open and question where it is this misery began to exist but just can't pinpoint when it came about. Simple. It came about when you stopped encountering the word HARD.

One big mountain University hopefuls must climb over to be successful is that rut which is built up in them during high school to rebel against authority, party and just have a good time. Getting a degree can be enjoyable and the memories one builds up during that time are their most treasured but, the bottom line is, University is hard. Sacrifices have to be made, time must be put aside for study, and high school habits have to change. A few people don't want to experience the word "hard" in their life. Going down the wide easy highway, not a care in the world. Encourage those people; if you don't they'll look back at their life in regret and wander why those closest to them didn't warn them sooner.

I have an Uncle who, when he was younger had everything going for him. School prefect, top rugby player, great school grades and he's great with people. So much going for him. He joined the Army and served two years there. During that time he started smoking, dropped out of the Officer's course he was invited to sit. He worked as a waiter and coffee shop manager for a while but got fired often for turning up late and then arguing about it. Seeking easy riches, he gambled away a lot of his savings. Now he has nothing to his name and I'm heartbroken because he just lacks the motivation to get ahead. He has taken hard out of his life.

For that very reason, I'm chomping at the bit to make my life hard. Looking towards the future, I will do everything I can to enable my life to be difficult, to do hard things. As an ultra-endurance athlete my goal is to consistently find ways to push beyond normal and there is a certain threshold where my mind is falling on jagged rocks. How awesome it is to have that feeling; it's when I think to myself "this is achieving something, something very few people can do and even less want to do. Don't give up."

Don't be scared of the word hard. Instead, put your head down and remember what Winston Churchill said: "Never, never, never, never give up!"