“I have never known a really successful man who deep in his heart did not understand the grind, the discipline it takes to win.” 

Vince Lombardi

I love the grind, I love my regimented and disciplined life-style.  I love eating healthy, working out, and working 18 hour days.  Why? Because I’m doing it for myself and my family.  I’m no longer making someone else rich, while I can hardly cover groceries.

When I first joined the Marine Corps, I was 50 pounds overweight and hated running.  In fact, the only thing I hated more than running, was more running.  It would take 20 minutes for  the fat on my legs to stop jiggling, after a 3-mile platoon run.  Not good for a career in the Marine Corps infantry.  After struggling for a year, dreading the  morning platoon runs, the weekly company and battalion runs, I decided to make running my friend.

I started saying, “I love running, and I love what running does for me. I’m an ultra-marathoner. I love to grind it out, day in, and day out.”  I started running on my own every night. My body would talk to me and say stuff like, “We’re exhausted, let’s skip the 5 miles tonight.”  Oooooh, so tempting to blow it off.

“What’d you do, Andrew?” Glad you asked.

I would answer my body, out loud, (after making sure no one could hear me), “Fine, then we’re running 10 miles tonight, and every time you try to tempt me out of a run, we are doubling the mileage.”  And then I actually ran the 10 miles.  Guess what? My body stopped whining real fast.

Soon, the morning platoon runs weren’t that bad.  Within 90 days of grinding it out, and being disciplined to run on my own, the morning runs got to be fun.  Success in the morning run, carried over into success in every other area of my life. Why? I learned to love the grind, and love discipline.  They produced results for me back in 1986, and have been producing ever since.

Most people talk a good game on the front end, but when it comes down to it, they shy away from the grind. They mostly watch TV, and lay on the couch.  They think discipline is a cuss word.

Learn to love the grind. Do it for yourself, and your loved ones.

Boo Yah!