Tag: strenuous life

Finding Success

How do you find success? Figure out what it is that most people know they should be doing, then do it.

For example, how do you get a six pack or get into the best shape of your life? You eat well and exercise regularly. But in order to really stand out from everyone else, you have to do what very few people are willing to do. The same can be said for anything in business as well. That which is difficult often does not have many people do it. Or people are willing to do it for a short period of time but don’t stick with it.

Hard work performed with focus, integrity, and perseverance will take you a long way. The more specific you are, the better results you will see. Focus completely on mastering one or two things first before trying to do everything. Otherwise you are more likely to be mediocre at everything you’re trying.

Voluntary hardship

Do hard things daily. Challenge your body by working out. Challenge your mind by reading and writing. Challenge your beliefs by being receptive to ideas from others who don’t have the same opinions as you. Take on that difficult project at work. Say no to eating out today and make something from a new recipe instead.

Experience voluntary hardship. It makes actual hardships easier and it puts life into perspective. Life is good. We just fail to properly appreciate it.

Sharpening the saw

Just like the analogy of “sharpening the saw,” you need to take time to sharpen your body and mind. Take the time to prepare for the future. When you a sharpening the blade of a saw, you may feel unproductive because you’re not actually “using” the saw to cut something down. But, in reality, you’re being extremely productive. Because of you being proactive in sharpening the saw, it ensures that when you do go to use it, it will be more efficient and cut more effectively with less energy being expended.

This is why it is important to work on “sharpening” your body and your mind. Eating healthy foods, working out, and stretching (which I enjoy the least, but need the most) are a few ways to sharpen your body. Reading, writing, drawing, painting, doing puzzles, building things, and meditating are ways you can sharpen your mind.

By working on yourself today, reducing your weaknesses or improving your strengths, you prepare yourself for the work of tomorrow to be easier. If your training is harder than the actual event, the event will seem easy to you and you’ll be able to perform better than the competition.

Being proactive

Do you know the worst part about trying to be proactive?

You can’t quantify the results. How can you say that you saved “x” dollars or “y” lives for an event that didn’t happen because you took action to prevent it from happening? And how do you absolutely know that if you hadn’t acted the way you had, that an event would have played out the way you thought? There are no guarantees.

But you can’t look at it that way. You have to take the best action you believe possible with the information you have at hand. Because what’s more expensive? Going to the doctor AFTER you got sick? Or NOT having to go to the doctor because you took care of yourself?

You might as well pay a little more right now to use a gym membership, to pay for and eat healthy foods, and to sharpen your mind. At first, it’s more expensive than sitting on the couch, eating potato chips, but what are your future costs? Try to be proactive and make the best decisions not only for the now, but also for the future.

Discipline equals freedom

Jocko Willink (former Navy Seal Lieutenant Commander) says, “Discipline equals freedom.” It seems counterintuitive, but if you think about it, it’s really not. Discipline will bring you success, which will give you freedom from the rat race of life. It’s the great separator between you and most other people. If you are able to be disciplined, you are able to do the hard things when you don’t want to. Most people will choose the easy route, but not you.

Because of your discipline, you are able to get up early, to challenge your mind, to get a good workout in, to cook healthy meals, to save more money, to be a better parent, to be a better employee/employer. Because of your discipline, you can set a goal and achieve it. You can accomplish so much more when you are disciplined, which will actually free your future self (as opposed to making decisions in the present day that ultimately enslaves your future self to working a job you don’t like for a paycheck).

Are you disciplined? You can be if you want to be. But you have to remain focused. You have to believe in yourself and you have change what you tell yourself. If you say that you’re not disciplined, you won’t be. Identify yourself as someone who does hard things and you will become that person.