A book (📕 / 📀 / 🎧) by Joshua Medcalf
Success is not an easy thing to achieve; you need to be prepared to fight for it
Success and excellence in our personal and professional lives come down to our seemingly insignificant daily choices.
Some decisions are pleasant; some are more akin to chores. The achievements we gain and the sacrifices we make along the way comprise our life journey. If done correctly, they become powerful stepping stones on our road to success.
Life is not a bed of roses for anyone. Often, to enjoy roses, we may need to go out to get them or have someone fetch them for us. Either way, we are still doing something to get the roses. Likewise, we need to do something to be successful in life. We need to stretch our hands to receive the help we need. We also have to give up some of our desires to pursue others. Essentially, we must chop wood and carry water to get anywhere. By doing this, we discover new things, give up some, submit to people, and learn from others, ourselves, and life.
We all love the awe and aura of greatness so much that we look forward to being great one day. We want it more than anything, but there is something else we must love to achieve greatness — the process.
⚡️The process of greatness begins with the dream to be remarkable.
Fantasizing about being magnificent is the easiest part. We imagine without any stress. Sitting down and imagining yourself in a mansion is sweet, but taking the steps necessary to build it is not as sweet. We must wake up from those dreams and take the essential step toward greatness — action.
You can never be great without chopping wood and carrying water; there’s no house without foundation. Wood and water mean different things to different people. It may be writing more for some, while for others, it is taking a course, reading a book, or going on a trip.
In this summary, you will discover general principles explaining how to become friends with the process of achieving greatness and how to take action toward glory in life.
Use tedious activities as learning material
See the process of carrying water and chopping wood as an opportunity to grow. It is the period when you become the judge of your success and learning process. Do not see the period as a test or competition; doing that hampers your seting i nas do sering on your one senter mia leaning spear isragardin mundane thinou, our
the truth is, they are an essential part of your road to success and hold teaching value.
⚡️To maximize your time doing the ordinary, you must identify what wood or water you need to carry.
Knowing the right thing will help you make the best of the period. Your water or wood may be you working under someone; if so, do it with joy and diligence and learn as much as possible. It might be working in a field where you need more experience. This could expand your horizons and available resources. Though it might seem scary and confusing, it’ll bring you much new and valuable knowledge. Wood and water can also be teamwork. It might be challenging if you’re not used to working with many people and making decisions together. But it could teach important lessons about finding common ground with someone and making compromises.
“The only thing that is truly significant about today, or any other day, is who you become in the process.”
Joshua Medcalf
The process may not be smooth or the best pathway you may encounter, but all that will not matter. What will matter in the long haul is what you use this road for, how it influenced you, and what became of you in the aftermath. Your journey is about the lessons you learned along the way, with all victories and downfalls.
Many successful people you hear about today learned their most valuable lessons during their wood and water season.