The phrase “paid the cost to be the boss” resonates with those willing to pay said costs. Just about everyone, at one time or another, aspires to bosshood. Who wouldn’t want to be the boss, enjoying all the perks and prestige that come with the title? But how many are willing to actually put in the work, to strive, suffer, and separate from everyone else? As AC/DC so evocatively explains, it’s a long way to the top (if you wanna rock ‘n’ roll).
This weekend, for some inexplicable reason, I took on a brutal home improvement project. The task appeared deceptively simple: remove decades of thick paint from wrought iron rails. Research suggested plenty of ways to remove the paint, from a wire brush to a brush head for a drill to caustic chemicals. Unfortunately, as I invested in each method, I learned that the job always required scraping with a putty knife. Surely, thought I, the 21st century has delivered unto suburbia a cornucopia of simple, easy, effortless paint removal techniques. Nope. If you want the paint removed from your iron rails, you’re probably going to spend A LOT of time with a putty knife.
That realization didn’t hit me until I was many hours into the project. When I finally accepted my fate, I began to discover what a wondrously versatile tool the humble putty knife is. And as I scraped and scraped under the sweltering sun, my technique improved. With every hour, I worked more efficiently and effectively, getting improved results with less effort.
That, in a nutshell, is the way the game is played. I wanted relatively clean rails and I wanted to do the work myself. No matter how many shortcuts I chased, every road took me back to the old putty knife. And once I accepted the work, I could strive for my desired results.
Test prep may not be effortless, but the path is not at all complicated. When we shared 4 Not-So-Easy Steps to Success, we outlined the cost, as it were, for higher scores. The best tool for the job is a personalized program implemented by experts that includes the highest quality practice tests and review. But before that tool will work for you, you have to accept the effort required to use it properly. That’s why the first and most important step to success is that you must want and be willing to work towards higher scores. Once you accept the work, you can move towards earning those results… like a boss.
Mike Bergin