Work!

The bedrock of success is hard work. I’m not talking about force x distance or any other quantitative calculation. I’m talking about good old-fashioned roll your sleeves up, pack your lunch box and hard hat WORK!

It seems that our society has gotten away from these ideals. Coach Lou Holtz once said: "Nowadays people only worry about their rights and privileges, 40 yrs ago they worried about their obligations and responsibilities." We’ve gotten away from hard work and expect instant gratification. There is no secret to success; actually it’s quite easy, but also extremely difficult because it takes hard work. Early mornings, late nights, reading, writing, failure, success, mistakes, stress, two steps back, three steps forward, sacrifice, risk, reward and the most precious resource we own, time! The beautiful thing about work ethic is that we have direct control over it. Every morning we wake up we make a conscious decision to work. As Strength Coaches I believe we have a responsibility to create an environment that promotes hard work, dedication and discipline. I believe we have the power to change lives. “I can’t get strong for you, it takes work!” “I can’t get fast for you, it takes work!” “I can’t wake up for you, it takes work!” “I can’t sweat for you, it takes work!” I have learned through Coach John Wooden that not all athletes should be treated equal. I treat athletes the way the earn and deserve to be treated. There is no trophy for just showing up, with work ethic comes reward! My grandfather always said “you’ll never loose your shirt if you roll up your sleeves.”   Let’s worry less about overnight rewards and more about our duties, obligations and character. Work ethic is a responsibility, an obligation that we owe ourselves to reach our own potential. After all, if it were easy, everyone would be doing it.

Anthony Donskov, MS, CSCS, PES, is a former collegiate and professional hockey player, founder of Donskov Strength and Conditioning Inc., (www.donskovsc.com) and Head Instructor/Director of Off-Ice Strength and Conditioning for Donskov Hockey Development (www.donskovhockey.com). He can be reached at info@donskovsc.com This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

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