Action: Be honest with yourself
Thought: In order to better our lives and create the best version of our lives, an honest internal vision of yourself is necessary.
- A brief expansion
View yourself as you would another person. If that person is not someone you would aspire to be like or classify as a good person then it is time to make some adjustments.
Take a good look at yourself and your life. We all do healthy things and unhealthy things. We all do productive things and unproductive things. A balance in life is desirable but if a bad is balanced out by a good, then there is never going to be any sort of progress.
- The easy part
You are in control:
Every little adjustment you make can add up to significant improvements. Occasionally, large changes will spark additional gains and a positive mood making it easier to press on. Small changes often go unnoticed, at least after they are ingrained in your routine, but they are necessary for ongoing improvement.
- The hard part
You:
Unsupportive people, hard work, and long stretches where nothing seems to change, nope. Those are not the hard part, you are.
Pain and discomfort will cause your mind to question the true purpose or settle for good enough. The voice will grow stronger the more you listen to it. It prohibits discipline towards your goals. It likes being on the couch, sleeping in bed, snacking on sweets, or staring at a screen. It is part of you, and at first it will be louder than the part of your mind that wants to change. The screams of doubt will be deafening. Your honest internal vision may not be stronger at first, but it is always correct. Over time and with consistency, the doubt will be overcome.
To be truly honest with yourself you must accept that one day you will no longer exist. Imagine that you are 100 years old. The doctors expect you to die within the next 2-4 months. You are without pain but too weak to walk or leave. You are alone with your thoughts and memories. If we all wish for others to rest in peace then we would wish the same for ourselves. How much peace is possible if your last moments are full of regret for all the things you will not do?
- The exciting part
Endless possibilities:
You can go as far as you want. Or, as far as you are willing to sacrifice. Visualize yourself standing in your new home, standing on the beach with an amazing body, or stepping back from your completed painting. Allow yourself to dream of how one small goal achieved will lead to another. Perhaps, after enough long-term goals get crossed off your list other opportunities will develop, like starting a business, winning an award, earning a sponsorship, or simply inspiring someone.
- The boring part
Time:
Significant change takes time. Movies typically play this part out as a montage. Why? Because movies cannot have boring parts. However, you will witness every single day. You will be alone for most of the difficulties and signs of progress. The journey will be like crossing an endless desert or ocean, with limited points of reference that make progress seem slow, if not stopped.
It might be so boring that starting other goals will appeal more than finishing your current one. These are sidetrack goals. Close enough is never what you honestly want and won’t give you the same sense of accomplishment. Although, the time spent on sidetrack goals can be good in small doses. Constantly putting off what you really want to achieve will turn that long ocean crossing into a never-ending space voyage. So, depending on the number of goals on your list and the realistic time until you are lying in the bed you can’t escape from, you need to be honest about how much time it is taking you to finish an important goal.
- Conclusion/Close-out
What do you want to do? What do you need to do?
Who do you want to be? Who do you need to be?
Find the answers to these questions first, as well as the difference between the want and need. This may take time, and it may seem like this is the hard part, simply deciding. Don’t get bogged down or stuck at the beginning. Ultimately, you will see what needs to happen first.
Inspiration on what to do may come from outside sources but it is your internal view of yourself that must fuel the pursuit. You need to determine exactly what is the problem, what adjustments to make, and how much you want to commit and sacrifice in making the change.
Why aren’t you the person you want to be?
What is stopping you?
Your time is limited and the longer you wait the harder it will be, so start now. Also, this post is purely motivational, you are in control of the next steps. Health, art, work, love, physical, mental, traveling, or quitting, only you know what you want and what is holding you back. If it is time to change then it is time to be honest with yourself.
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