253. making moves
Life is full of challenges. Most of us worry too intensely about each step needing to be considered as forward progress that we reach a point of stagnation. We can no longer push forward because the situation we’re in no longer serves the person we want to be, while at the same time, we don’t allow ourselves to create a lateral move, much less take a small step back, to reset the momentum which ultimately has the potential to propel us forward.
Anything less than continual progress is considered failure. We make the mistake in believing that each step needs to move us in the same direction, even if it mean we’re running headfirst into a wall. But it’s important to understand that we aren’t defined by each individual step we take, so much as the trajectory we keep. Sometimes that means making different moves, small changes, or step-backs to keep us moving toward to person we want to become. If we keep avoiding the necessary moves that match where we want to go, the only place we’re going to progress is right off a cliff.
206. just do it
We’ve grown up in a world where we need to ask for everything. Can I have some food, Mom? Can I go to the bathroom, Teacher? Can I have a raise, Boss? It has taught us that we cannot attain anything without the approval of others.
When we have an idea we want to pursue, instead of starting, we fall back into the mode of seeking approval from friends or family. We willingly forgo taking the necessary action because, in a sense, we are waiting for permission. What we don’t realize, is that most often our search for approval is just an excuse to not get started. So, if you want to do something, then do it. Stop looking for approval because it’s just an excuse for inaction.
193. don’t copy past successes
Your job is not to be a better version of your older self. That older version of you is gone forever. Your job is to be the best version of who you are in this moment and forever continue to build upon that momentum throughout your life.
Don’t try to replicate something that worked in the past. Move forward with the understanding that the 2.0 version of yourself will never be able to bring in the 3.0.
There is a philosophy in the upper echelons of the strength training community that share this idea. It operates on the principle that the training methods a person used to achieve a 600lb squat will not fulfill their desire to reach 800lbs. In other words, the strategies employed to achieve one success will not serve your efforts going further. The same goes for life. Whatever we’ve found useful to arrive at a successful point in our life can never deliver us to the next level. To continually ascend we must recognize our adaptations and change according to our new surroundings.
162. start right where you are
The best way forward, in any situation, is to start right where you are, with whatever you have, and go after what you want. Waiting will never serve the person you want to become, it only feeds the anxiety of what could happen. The first step out of a new situation is always going to be the hardest, but nothing cures anxiety more than action.
If your car breaks down on the side of the road or runs out of gas, you can turn on your hazards and wait for someone to come along to help, or you can get out and start pushing. Your inaction feeds your anxiety. It signals to the world you are looking for charity by saying, “I’m here, I’m at a loss, please help if you can.” It will never create a better version of yourself. Whereas taking action by deciding to start right where you are can propel you into becoming the person you wish to be. That initial push is going to be the hardest part because you’re going to have to overcome the inertia of the unknown, but after 20-30 feet, you’ll gain enough momentum so that all of a sudden you’re not pushing as hard as you were, and instead your focus shifts to keeping up with your current course of action.
Your anxiety of what might happen disappears with the opportunity that action creates.
The moment or environment you find yourself in isn’t always negotiable, but your response is. The discussion you have with yourself in an effort to decide how best to proceed, defines the person you are trying to become. You don’t need to know the exact next step, but you do need to move for momentum to take place. And the best place to start is right where you are.