Ray Zingler

Work ethic isn’t an assumed trait. It’s learned. Engrain that shit in their bones.

You know what screws kids up the most? Adults with great intentions on paper, but standards they don’t live up to in practice. They justify missing. They bend to pop culture. They accept what compromises moral code. And their kids watch it all & learn to accept it as normal.

Soft. Pudgy. Tired. Incapable. Excuse-riddled. Barely hanging on. Compromising. Unfulfilled. That’s the modern adult. And kids? They become whatever is lived, tolerated, and accepted above them. You can’t fake the code. They know.

Soft, pudgy, tired, physically incapable, excuse-riddled, barely hanging on, unfulfilled. Those adjectives describe most adults in today’s world. But guess who kids become? What is lived, tolerated, & accepted by their superiors. You can’t fake the code. They know.

If you were committed.. If you had discipline.. If you took the time to build strength.. You wouldn’t tolerate anything less for your children. The reason most compromise & eventually fold is because they ain’t got it. And their kids suffer the secondhand consequences.

For quite some time there was a popular wives tail that went around claiming that it was “dangerous for kids to become strong”. Think of how many millions of kids (who grow into adults) that lie has screwed on a multitude of levels. Weakness at any age is never an advantage.

@GowagsKyle So, no? When you increase your capacity to endure challenging things you better prepare yourself for a world that is hungry to beat you to a pulp. Which is why we see an entire generation of kids receiving real world ass whippings at scale.

@rayzingler You're a pleasant guy. Carry on.

Kids today are getting increasingly soft. And it’s not their fault. It’s the parents who are who are aiming to befriend them, while still trying to “prepare” them for a world that no longer exists. Want a real edge? Teach them how to do “hard”. It’s the game changer.

@GowagsKyle You ever worked a shovel in 100 degree heat for 12 hours a day?? I fuckin doubt it.

@rayzingler I’m not disagreeing with you but… What evidence would you have to see in order to come to a different conclusion? What examples of hard and prepare would change your mind?

We’re so smart that we send kids to school to memorize facts that live on their phones.. To prepare them for more school they get to pay for with money they don’t have. But what if you encourage an alternative, modernized, fiscally responsible approach? They call you crazy 🫡

You’re not a byproduct of your circumstances. You’re a byproduct of your attitude & behavior. It’s a rather simple game of choices. “The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The realist adjust the sails.” -William Arthur Ward

You create “must be nice” with effort. You “get lucky” by being ferociously consistent. There are no hacks. No loopholes. If you want real, lasting sustenance, work has and will always be the answer.

Motion precedes direction. You cannot steer what does not move. What is not moving can’t gain any momentum. And what has no momentum sure as hell can’t compound. The solution? Get and stay in motion.

Dwelling on the past doesn’t change it. It only places an unnecessary tax on your future. Accept. Learn. Let it go. Attack the next thing.

A series of strikeouts. A business deal that falls through. A relationship that is irrecoverable. Adversity is inevitable and the objective isn’t to avoid it. It’s to accept it & get right back on track the fastest. It’s the difference between the effective & the stagnant.

Most of what happens in life is outside your control, but you can always control how you behave on the backside of the uncontrollables. Do you react emotionally? Or do you respond as favorably as possible given the circumstances? Losers react. Winners respond & move forward.

Most people say they want excellence. What they really want is the appearance of excellence without upholding the standards it demands. Standards of excellence aren’t about perfection. They’re about refusal. Refusal to compromise. Especially in a world begging you to.

Focus is the filter. Progress depends as much on your ability to detect bullshit and drown out noise as it does anything else. Not some things, but MOST things aren’t worthy of your attention. Success often comes down to how much you’re willing to ignore.

Attitude decides. Preparation creates. Effort executes. Consistency compounds. You can be really dumb, but if you have a great attitude, prepare, give effort, & are ferociously consistent.. You’d have to try to lose. It’s rarely about ability. It’s about consistency.

Effort is where intentions collide with reality. Everyone loves the idea of success. Few deliver the daily outputs success demands. While preparation builds the plan.. Tireless, relentless, effort is what executes it. Fortunately for you and I, effort is a controllable.

Preparation can’t always guarantee positive outcomes, but it is a non-negotiable if you want a chance at any resemblance of repeatable success. Most people aren’t incapable. They’re lazy & scattered because they’re unprepared. Preparation is the foundational controllable.