If you want your outcomes to be uniquely successful, your input must be uniquely hard. This can mean different things to different people. Some habits are easy to maintain for some and a real struggle for others. Deciding to put in the hard work of improving habits that are difficult for you is the path to transformative outcomes.

Alex Hormozi has said, “When things get hard, this is where most people stop. And this is why they don’t win. Getting strong or in shape, or building a successful business is hard—and hard feels shitty.” Realizing that success requires uncomfortable habit changes can be eye-opening. Humans naturally shy away from tension and obstacles, but this is precisely where you should focus your mental efforts.

If it’s easy for you to wake up early or maintain healthy eating habits, great! These are good habits that can contribute to your success. But, if you feel that you’ve hit a plateau in whatever venture you’re working on, consider looking at the habits or skills you shy away from. Naturally, these areas won’t be your strong suit—and committing to improving these will likely cause a major change in how successful your outcomes are.

Knowing that this will be difficult work, make sure your goals are important enough to you to make the struggle worth the effort. This will require willpower. Most people fail to make progress because they don’t have an important enough reason to keep going when the going gets tough. If you want this to work, find something that’s worth the hassle. You’ll need that reminder when it’s not fun anymore.

Remind yourself frequently about this goal. Remind yourself that changing habits will not be easy. Anticipating this discomfort will set your expectations accurately for what’s ahead of you.

If you have a goal that’s important enough to you and a realistic plan for achieving it, you might muster the courage to endure the difficult path to success.