Here is a very sobering thought that will separate the winners from the also-rans: Everything worthwhile is uphill.

Now, make no mistake about it, what I am saying is that to achieve any real success in life requires hard work. The beautiful thing about this statement is that any citizen in our country has the opportunity to achieve success because of our form and system of government. We are guaranteed that right by the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. It is important to note that our forefathers never intended that we all achieve equal success, but that we all have equal opportunity. 

Now, this question please: Do you really and truly know what that means? It simply means that if we are born with a healthy mind and body, the sky is the limit for us, and we can be and become just about anything we want to become. As I said earlier, to achieve anything truly worthwhile requires hard work.

Another question: Do you know what holds back most people? Well, the answer is limitations of various kinds, mostly self-imposed. As a quick aside, I believe the reason for our massive problem of addiction and suicide in America is our affluence and all the modern inventions we have today. These inventions, and sometimes gadgets, have removed most of the hard labor from our lives. 

Back in the days when people had to work from sunup to sundown just to exist, we did not have that problem. Just think about that for a minute, and I believe you will see the truth of it. This may be where the saying, “An idle mind is the Devil’s workshop” came from.

Another reason a lot of people do not succeed is because they do not read and understand the Bible. It is full of truth and wisdom. Verses like Galatians 6:7 tell us our fortune: “Be ye not deceived, God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that shall he also reap.” 

Now here is the purpose of this column: I hope you can and will think about your life and realize that every person who has a sound mind and body can achieve the measure of success they desire. This is regardless of your age, your family, what you do for a living (or even if you are retired), and whether or not you have achieved success or are still working on it. The most important factor of all is to realize that “hard work” will make the difference. 

In light of what I have just said, I believe a fitting way to close this column is to share with you this poem titled “Don’t Quit”. 

DON’T QUIT

“When things go wrong, as they sometimes will, when the road you’re trudging seems all uphill, when the funds are low and the debts are high, and you want to smile but you have to sigh; rest if you must, but don’t you quit. Life is queer with its twists and turns, as every one of us sometimes learns; and many a failure turns about when he might have won had we stuck it out. Don’t give up though the pace seems slow, you may succeed with another blow. Success is a failure turned inside out, the silver tint of the clouds no doubt. And you are near when success seems far, so stick to the fight when you are hardest hit. It’s when things seem worse that you mustn’t quit.” 

And a final word: Just be grateful that you live in the greatest country on earth.

—

(Editor’s Note: JIM DAVIDSON is an author, public speaker, syndicated columnist and founder of the Bookcase for Every Child project. Since its inception in 1995, Jim’s column has been self-syndicated to over 375 newspapers in 35 states, making it one of the most successful in the history of American journalism.)