Have you ever asked yourself, “What’s the story of my life?”
Have you asked “What am I capable of and what could I be?”
If you worked harder, accepted personal responsibility and took ownership for everything in your life, good and bad, what would your life look like? If you got crystal clear on your goals and aspirations and poured everything you had into them, how would life be different? If you eliminated all distractions and only focused on your life’s mission, where would you end up?
It took me a long time to ask those questions; just about 40 years.
When I did, I realized I was held back by fear, doubt, and feelings of unworthiness. “Who am I to do that?” I asked myself.
Once I began thinking about how I wanted my life to be, that’s when I started doing the work I wanted to do, and living the life I wanted.
Is this worth doing for you? Yes.
I think it’s worth doing if you’re 25, 35, 45, 55, 65 or 75. Humans have a remarkable capacity and ability to change, regardless of age or situation.
Here’s what got me thinking about all this- I learned about how when a domestic pig goes into the wild, within months they grow tusks, thicker hair, and become more aggressive. I think that’s incredible. It made me wonder about humans. How would we respond if we returned to “the wild.”
I think we’d do well, so long as we embraced it. What do you think?
My conclusion is this; most of us, myself included, are just scratching the surface of what we’re capable of. We’ve been lulled to sleep by modern comforts and conveniences. Something greater is waiting for each of us.
I want to talk about how to tap into it.
Here’s what we’ll cover:
- Exploring new things
- Push yourself
- Reevaluate and prioritize
Let’s get started.
Exploring new things
We’re limited by our lived experiences and the information we’ve taken in. Our perspective on life and the world has been cultivated over time. But what if the opposite were true?
What if the opposite of what you think is true? If a different religion is true. A different diet, exercise program, political philosophy, etc. What if there’s a better way for you to be living?
Odds are, most of what you’re doing is perfectly wonderful. But in service of helping you reach your ultimate potential, isn’t it worth digging into?
This is all about being open to new things. It’s about being curious and embracing the challenge and opportunity to explore new things with an open mind.
Push yourself
Worthwhile things require hard work.
Having the life you want will require sacrifice.
Those two things are true.
We’re all following patterns. Odds are, you do many of your daily activities the same way every day. While this has benefits from an ease and efficiency standpoint, these patterns can also keep us stuck. Don’t believe me? Ever lose weight only to gain it back?
Making change and maximizing your potential will require you to break patterns. Breaking patterns will require you to push through your comfort zone and work harder than you have been. Getting to the life you want will require you to start going without certain things. You may need to cut certain foods out of your diet. You may need to stop playing video games, or spending so much time on social media.
While I have no idea what sacrifices will be required for you to get where you want to go, I know you’ll need to make some.
Reevaluate and prioritize
In order to be inspired to work hard, and to make sacrifices, you’ll need to create a compelling vision for your future. Without one, you probably won’t stick with it.
Intellectually, I’ve always known the importance of goal setting, but it took me until I was 35 to get serious about it. If you’re like me, you’ll benefit from a framework. To help you get clear on what you want, you can access our Goals and Values Courses for free.
When you figure out what you want for yourself, you can reevaluate and prioritize how you’re spending your most important resources of time, attention, and money. All of which are finite.
Because we have finite resources, we must be good stewards of them. And that means putting certain things at the head of the line, and getting rid of others entirely. If it’s your goal to read more, you’ll probably need to cut out Netflix. If it’s your goal to wake up earlier to exercise, you’ll probably need to get to bed earlier. You get the idea.
Who wouldn’t want this?
This is a story of commitment. It’s all about getting up and doing what needs to be done; every day. Most people don’t want to do that.
Making it real
Humans have a remarkable capacity and ability to change, regardless of age or situation. That being said, it’s wise to get started sooner rather than later. As the saying goes, the best time to plant a tree was 30 years ago, the next best time is today.
As we get older, certain things get harder to do. The time is now.
Earlier I told you that something greater is waiting for each of us. I’d be curious to know what you found after going through this. Perhaps it’s inspired you to make a change. Maybe it confirmed you’re living your best life. Whatever your experience, I hope it was worth your time.
If you’re motivated to continue exploring, I invite you to consider joining the Strive Online Bootcamp. It’s a two-week virtual bootcamp designed to detox your mind, body and money, as well as jumpstart your journey to writing the story of your life.
You’re someone who can have the life they want, you’ve just gotta get started.
If you’re ready to take control of your financial life, check out our DIY Financial Plan course.
We’ve got three free courses as well: Our Goals Course, Values Course, and our Get Out of Debt course.
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