Endure: How to Work Hard, Outlast, and Keep Hammering

by Cameron R. Hanes

The vast majority of us will leave this life like an unfinished canvas—a dim shadow of what we could have been if we had dedicated ourselves to mastering the mind, and consistently forcing the body into action.

It is a very rare person who can lie down at the end of a day with full confidence that they have done their absolute best, and an even rarer person that can do that consistently, day after day, year after year, until the days of laziness and self-pity are but a distant memory, drowned out by the years and years of action and discipline.

In his world there are no days off. Days you are not getting better are days wasted.

It’s not talent; it’s drive. It’s not raw ability; it’s endurance. Hunting is my passion and being successful at it is what fuels me every day to get better than the day before. That’s how I’m able to have a 100 percent success rate.

What I tell them is that you just need to get out the door and worry about today only. Don’t worry about tomorrow. Don’t worry about a week from now. You worry about today. Win the day. Do something positive. Worry about tomorrow tomorrow. To me, that is what enduring means. To get some positive direction going. To build up some momentum. What you’re barely doing day one, you’re doing easily on day twenty. That’s how it works. You have to get started and then you have to endure.

Don’t make excuses. Give it your all. Show up when you’re supposed to show up. Speak your mind. Own up to your mistakes. Think with perspective. This is how you live a life worth remembering. That’s what I was starting to do.

Years ago, I remember hearing the following quote: “They don’t make statues of critics.” Those words are powerful to me.

Where does your strength come from? The only way muscles are built is by doing something that breaks them down, then they repair themselves to answer a test and you repeat the process over and over. Bottom line: Your body gives you what you ask of it.

Work hard, do it right, and you’ll earn those just rewards.