There are two kinds of people in the world: the ones that protest and complain and want fairness despite never having earned it, and the ones that fight their asses off to be important and make a contribution. You have to earn the right to be treated fair. The people that have a problem with that are the scrubs.

– Jim Wendler

Read the whole article. It might be in the context of football, but it’s all about working hard(er) and achieving goals.

There’s two other passages I thought were excellent:

Adopt a winning attitude that understands you will fail but allows you to achieve your goals.

If possible, have someone in your life that won’t coddle you, but call you out on your bullshit. Whenever I faltered from this attitude my father set me straight.

• Complained about school? Suck it up and study.
• The coaches won’t look at me? Quit crying and get better.
• I don’t like my job! Change your attitude or quit and do your own thing.
• I don’t make enough money! Find a way to make more.

and

The important thing is that you make yourself indispensable at what you do. Work as hard as you can to be the best at your given role. If that’s protecting the punter, do so with such precision that no one can take your job. Do not take your job for granted. Make it hard on the coaches to take you out. Fight like hell to do your job better than anyone.

That’s one I’ve known and done my best with in my own life and career, and one I’ve been working to pass on to my kids.

One last piece of advice — if in doubt and you don’t know what to do, train your balls off and take the last week off. If you’re strong, you’re strong. Weak people find excuses — strong people lift big weights. And to be honest, this last paragraph of advice is all you really need.

– Jim Wendler, from a Blood & Chalk talk.

Jim might be talking about powerlifting, but the concept applies to life period. Weak people find excuses. Strong people lift big weights. Those weights may not be pulling a bunch of 45# plates off the floor. It might be working 4 jobs because you need to feed your family. It might be writing the next big app that will change the world. It might be caring for a sick and disabled loved one, because they cannot care for themselves. Weights aren’t always made of iron, but strong people move those weights every day without excuse.