“You need to spend time crawling alone through shadows to truly appreciate what it is to stand in the sun.” – Shaun Hick
Tell me.
What makes the 2020 version of you different from the 2019 version?
At the beginning of the new year, we’re all motivated, determined, and inspired.
We set large goals for ourselves, like working out or eating a healthier diet, and we plan to achieve these goals every day for the rest of the year…
But does this actually happen?
What percentage of people actually do what they say they’re going to do?
It’s one thing to be ambitious and set a goal, and it’s another thing to follow through with it.
In this era, we’re enslaved to the systems around us.
We continue to consume sugar, smoke vapes, and remain mediocre–as average is the status quo in our society.
Thus, many of us remain the same people year after year.
Why?
Because our daily routines don’t change.
In the past, I thought that self-improvement could be initiated, but it turns out that I was wrong, as the only catalyst for change is pain.
You need to get your heart broken, to fail a class, to get rejected, etc. in order to spark that motivation to improve.
Now, does pain itself automatically caused one to strive for greatness?
No.
At that point, it’s up to the individual, and he or she then has two choices:
1) Sit and do nothing
or
2) Do something about it
So am I telling you to literally cut yourself or stub your toe?
No.
That’s physical pain.
What I’m talking about is mental pain, and the only way to undergo this is to live outside of your comfort zone. When you seek discomfort, you will eventually fail, and each failure will always come with pain.
In my own life, I can’t begin to describe how much pain I’ve experienced–and although I loathed it at the time–I couldn’t be more thankful looking back in hindsight.
Embrace each failure as they come, reflect upon them, and grow from the experience.
This is the only way forward.
JL