I recently came across a quote by M.J. Savage that really hit me. He wrote: "If any young man expects, without faith, without thought, without study, without patient persevering labor, in the midst of and in spite of discouragement, to attain anything in this world that is worth attaining, he will simply wake up, by-and-by, and find that he has been playing the part of a fool." Whoa, no pulling punches in that statement. Certainly many people wish that the path to success, wealth, and happiness were easier than it really is, but as M. J. Savage would say, that's "playing the part of a fool." While it's true that reaching success requires hard work, I actually believe that it's much easier than the alternative. Think about this: It's easier to succeed than it is to fail in life. I know a lot of people that won't agree with me on that but I maintain that it's true. Most assume that the path of least resistance is the easiest path in life but it's simply not the case. You can certainly drift in life but I've never seen people drift to their dreams or to the top of a mountain. However, I have seen many people set worthwhile goals, take daily action, and wind up with all that they ever wished for and much, much more. Doing the work that needs to be done everyday leads to extraordinary accomplishment, and it's much easier in the long run than the alternative. Trust me on this and you'll be glad you did.