Whether conscious of it or not the majority of people you know aspire to be great. At something. It may not be in an area or way you think. That CEO you know may aspire to be a better leader or to improve his skills at playing guitar or golf. But aspiring to be great at anything actually takes work. Hard work. And discomfort.

No matter whether you are working on a skill or behavior it needs to become second nature. Think repetition. A good example is golf. Swinging the different types of golf clubs well takes repetition until the swing becomes second nature, requiring no thought, like a habit. This level of discipline is not human nature and is why it takes hard work and discomfort to achieve or even try to reach your aspirations.

So whatever your aspirations are – developing more work, increasing revenue, running a marathon, improving your golf game – you have to be ready to invest blood, sweat and tears. If you do, there is no guaranty you will reach your goal, but there sure is a better chance. The results, or lack thereof, ultimately will reflect the level of work and discomfort you were willing to endure in aspiring to be great at something.