"Secret" To Success: Hard Work

Brent Osborn • April 18, 2018

The "secret" to success is often hard work...


This picture may look dark. That’s because it was- This was taken last night 20 minutes after the sunset, at a blustery 30 degrees, with blowing snow. For the entire time that I walked my dog, Riley, around the several mile loop at the park, the young man in this photo, Conner, put himself through drill after drill--perfecting his hitting and throwing. He was there before I got there and after I left. And he was there all alone.

What struck me about this was the motivation you could sense – even from afar. Not once did I see him reach for his phone or take a break. He was in full cadence of intentional and purposeful practice. The ping of the bat was crisp and echoed off of the trees. At times the only thing visible from afar were the flashes of white from his gloves as he hustled back and forth between the baselines.


Even though I was freezing and Riley was ready to go home, I decided I had to go back and find out what he was doing and what he was training for. With just weeks until his undergraduate graduation, he was training in anticipation of being picked up for a final year of baseball eligibility at a university while pursuing a masters degree. After chatting for a while and deciding I had interrupted his practice long enough, I walked home. But this motivational and inspirational encounter stuck with me. Conner, the lone athlete, knew that his success and the attainment of his goals were up to him. No one else would be putting in the time and energy for him to reach his goals - rather his diligent practicing, exhaustive work ethic, and application of learning from past mistakes was his pathway to success.


What if we applied Conner’s mindset to our businesses, our daily work, and swung for the fences no matter who was watching? How would our lives as entrepreneurs, business owners, managers, leaders, and team members be different?

"There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure." -Colin Powell



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