“Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional”

Over the years when you’ve become successful with a given subject, whether it’s work, design, speaking, or even having a kid, others look at you and think that you’ve had it easy and that you’ve never had to work for anything. Everything just comes to you naturally. The fact is; life is hard, and at times a pain in the ass. Getting good or becoming great at a given subject is not something that any person does easily. These “great” people don’t go from point A to B and complete a subject without bumps, bruises and tons of problems along the way. What makes these people great at something is that through all of those bumps, bruises, and assholes they had to deal with along the way, that person looked at the problem, saw what was needed along the way, and work their ass off to make it happen. They dealt with the pain, but they never suffered along the way. The hard work is what makes them great, and anyone can do it, so long as they don’t give up.

Simple diagram that I think really illustrates what people think and the reality of success: