Today’s Daily Smiley is one of my favorite idioms and motivational mottos to live by: No Guts, No Glory. I first heard this motto when I was in high school at the and ran on the cross-country team. My cross-country and track coaches Scott Cody and Jesse Cody (brothers and former all-state athletes) were more than high school coaches, they were mentors and friends. They taught me about the value of hard work, practice, dedication, and most importantly, teamwork. While I was never the fastest kid on the track team (and actually was one of the slowest), I ran my ass off every day and had fun doing it. More so, I was committed to making others on the team feel welcome and have a good time—which is actually kind of a challenge when you’re running 50 miles a week and spending Tuesday afternoons after school running hill workouts. Yes, you just run up and down hills, over and over and over again.
The Codys taught me and my teammates that winning a race or running a personal best would only come with training, practice, and persistence. That meant running in the rain, running in the cold, and running when you were tired. If you don’t push for what you want, you won’t get it. These same values can be applied towards any personal goal, whether it’s physical, academic, personal, or emotional. If you want something, you need to go for it head on, with all your might. If you want to write a book or start your own business venture or take your relationship to the next level or travel halfway around the world or become a yoga teacher or a lawyer or a photographer or a teacher or a graphic designer or a cook or a musician or do something that you’ve always wanted to do, however insane, it takes guts, passion, persistence, and dedication. You have to want it so bad that you’re willing to put on ridiculously tight spandex tights, hats, and gloves in the 10-degree Boston cold and go outside and get it. Glory comes to those who spill their guts out—who try harder than they ever thought they could try to reach their goals. No Guts, No Glory. Four words to live by.
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