Many things are out of our control. We cannot choose where we come from, the way we look, our height, our IQ, our privilege, our genetics. We must play the cards we are dealt in life.

The one thing we can control is how hard we work. There is no excuse to not work harder than everybody else. You should be the hardest worker in your office. The hardest working mother or father. The hardest working friend. The hardest working spouse. The hardest working supervisor. The hardest working entrepreneur. Hard work will tip the scales in your favour. There will always be people more talented than you, more attractive than you, taller than you, smarter than you, with better connections than you, with less baggage than you. The separator is how hard you are willing to work.

It goes back to controlling what you can control. If you constantly focus on what you don’t have and what other people have, you set yourself up for failure. You teach yourself that you’re not good enough and therefore, aren’t worthy of success and happiness. Focus on what you can control. Outwork everyone. Show up on time. Work when you’re supposed to work. Stay focused. If you do that day after day after day, the results will speak for themselves.

Ed Mylett talks about the concept of “One More”. He wrote a book called The Power of One More. It is such a simple concept but it is so powerful and life changing. It’s a method of outworking everybody else and even your past self. If you normally do 10 sets at the gym, do 11. If you normally run for 45 minutes, run for 46. If you normally make 50 phone calls to clients during the day, do a little bit more. It’s the concept that if you do just a little bit more in everything you do, that progress will begin to stack on top of each other. Over time, you will exponentially grow and get better at the thing you are focusing on. The small actions compound on to one another and your growth will skyrocket.

Mylett’s “One More” way of living has added so much value to my life. It not only allows for you to experience more growth, it gives you confidence. You start to really believe that if I do the extra work that other people aren’t willing to do, then I should get what other people aren’t going to get. If I work out more than you, I deserve to be in better shape. If I work harder than you at work, I deserve that promotion. If I put in a little extra effort, I deserve to reap the benefits and over time, those will stack on top of one another and I will get things other people aren’t willing to get. You start showing up to work a little bit earlier. You start being more present with your kids. You start telling your spouse that you love them and appreciate them more. You start checking in with friends more. You call your aging parents more often. You start doing little things that you know make a difference and over time they make a huge difference in life.

Embrace a little bit of discomfort and put in the extra work. I promise you it will pay off. You will stand out from the crowd at work. Your wife will love you even harder. Your kids will appreciate the time you spend with them. People will wonder how you got in such good shape. You will attract the opposite sex. More people will be drawn to you. And the ones that have the genetics and Hollywood good looks will slack off and rely too much on these things. You will sail right by them because you’re laying a solid foundation that is built upon your mindset, habits and work ethic.

Outwork everyone, in every aspect of life. It’s compound interest to your happiness and satisfaction.