Life is about reaching your full potential. It is easy to beat ourselves up when things aren’t going our way. All of the answers lie within and come when we stay open and never settle for anything less than we deserve. One thing about life that never changes is change itself. If we all knew what tomorrow holds, life would be mundane, monotonous, and morbid. Most of the future ahead is outside of our control. There are very few aspects of life everyone has a direct control over. It makes no sense to over stress about the countless details of life that occur with no regard for the billions of personal lives they affect.
Stoicism is something that the world can use more of especially in the current state of world affairs. Whatever life throws our way is part of life, regardless if the situation is favorable or not. The mind and the world are more connected than most people think. External circumstances do not create realities. However, the way an individual views the world around himself/herself is directly tied to personal thoughts and beliefs rather than external circumstances.
We can’t control what happens to us, only how we react and view the world around us.
Yes, the world can be harsh and cruel sometimes. Everyone goes through struggles of their own. There is no time to feel sorry for yourself. Focus on what truly matters. Anybody who has achieved some sort of success has not waited for the perfect time to go to work. There is no “perfect time.” Be real, learn more, and never settle.
Life is all about expecting the unexpected. Stay honest and never let rough times keep you down forever. As cliche as it sounds, it will always be true- tough times don’t last, tough people do.
Limitless Mind
To separate oneself from the events around them leads to limitless possibilities. Feeling like the world is out to get us or things don’t go our way limits the potential of the mind. Some of the best in various expertises have come from rather unfavorable circumstances.
LeBron James did not feel sorry for himself when he was growing up in an underprivileged neighborhood in Akron, Ohio with his single mother. He could have blamed his environment for his failures. However, we all know that isn’t the case for James. He focused on the future rather than letting his uncomfortable environment hold him back from reaching his full potential.
Too many people think taking care of themselves only relates to exercise and eating healthy. Never settling means to be constantly looking to improve upon all aspects of the body- physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Nobody can do these all at once at the same time. They are all connected and need sufficient time, attention, and effort dedicated to each.
The physical environment around us is important and can shape many respects of life, but the internal aspects are far more vital to achieving anything worthwhile. Bruce Lee captured the importance of the mind and explained, “Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water.” The mind cannot be rigid and set in its ways. Countless individuals may think they are learning, but only retain information which goes along with what they knew beforehand. To be shapeless is to be open before looking to improve.
A closed mind is a mind closed off.
Anyone who does not want to settle in life must remain open to new ideas that may not always be easy to accept. Settling leads to mediocrity. Social media (when used as an outlet to “escape reality”) breeds contentedness. However, someone can use the same platforms to learn about new ideas and network with countless people. The mind cannot differentiate between good and bad unless it is already empty.
Next Moves
To never settle is to look ahead while living in the present. Proper preparation prevents poor planning. The next move is not always the best move. Momentum propels the best moves and proves the wait to be worthy of the patience required for preparation and execution.
It isn’t enough to be working only in the moment or taking time to enjoy your (deserved or undeserved) breaks. The best of the best look to create and properly line up at least their next five moves, if not more. A predictable individual often finds themselves closer to falling off than they would originally think.
Being proactive and having a well-defined course of action already sets a person apart from the rest. Life is too unpredictable. It is vital to cook up the next moves so there is ample time and energy to deal with anything unplanned. A poorly planned person cannot adapt efficiently.
Time cannot be manipulated in our favor. More waiting around leads to less time for planning five or more moves to come. People aren’t able to break their personal best but simply moseying their way throughout life. The next best movie of this decade probably hasn’t started production yet or the newest professional sports team is years away from its inception.
We won’t be able to fully predict the future no matter how hard we try. Instead of over-focusing on the future, the present must be used to put future plans into perspective. It makes no sense to waste time focusing on the aspects of life outside of our direct control.
The future is out of our reach.
Nobody can predict what will happen to us or around us.
Be open to being okay with expecting the unexpected.
Delayed W’s
Life teaches us quickly that things don’t always go our way. People take every failure personally and think the world is out to get them. In reality, everyone goes through trials and tribulations all throughout life. The peaks and valleys vary depending on numerous conditions. Not many things in life are certain- one is the fact that everybody will fail, make mistakes, and fall down in one way or another.
To not learn from failures is almost the same as not learning anything new at all. Any setback can lead to a greater comeback, but only with the right mindset.
Losses can be approached in two ways: defeats with nothing to learn from them or experiences that turn into lessons. Experience is often the best teacher in life. Studying and theorizing only goes so far and cannot make up for practical knowledge. Business school is one example of too many theories. Numerous business professors have countless years of wisdom but no real-world business experience. Business owners are often better teachers since they have multiple years of work and some success to show. They go through the ups and downs of dealing with relentless customers, clients, and competitors.
To not learn from failures is almost the same as not learning anything new at all. Any setback can lead to a greater comeback, but only with the right mindset.
Nothing compares to having a pragmatic background that cannot be bought for any amount of money. Theories are essential but nowhere near as valuable as real-world experience that cannot be taught. Nobody can teach experience no matter how hard they try.
Wisdom comes in many forms.
The most valuable is the type that cannot be bought, exchanged, tested, or gifted.
Be Comfortable Being Uncomfortable
A person who often finds themself in their comfort zone tends to stay there. No real growth ever occurs within limits we find ourselves comfortable in. To never settle in life leads to sleepless nights, hard times, and relationships lost. In the end, everything happens for a reason. There’s no reason to try to change the past.
To be uncomfortable in a healthy yet demanding environment leads to countless opportunities for noticeable progress. Nobody can grow while sitting in bed watching tv shows or movies under a comfortable blanket. At the same time, doing the same thing everyday, even if it is productive, does not lead to much growth either.
Committing to the same actions while adding variations produces exorbitant results over a long period of time. No NBA All Star has ever gotten the award with only an off-season or two of uncomfortable and tiring work. They all put in the time and energy for multiple off-seasons and propelled themselves to new heights during the regular and post seasons. LeBron James and Michael Jordan did not get comfortable with winning one NBA championship or one MVP award; they pushed themselves to achieve greatness and break the limits they once put on themselves. To be one of the best requires relentless determination and will over an extended period of time.
The elite athletes, doctors, lawyers, and entrepreneurs all still make mistakes and slip up from time to time. There is no reason to chase the unattainable perfect game, surgery, legal outcome, or business deal. Choosing progress and growth over perfection allows a person to learn from their mistakes and move on rather than dwelling on slip ups.
Nobody becomes successful staying in their comfort zone. Seek progress, never perfection.
Settling For Greatness
Mediocrity is easy to fall victim to. If there was a simple and straightforward path to success and eternal happiness handed on a silver platter, there would be no such thing as success. Accomplishments set people apart. People who are destined for greatness tend to never settle in life.
Basketball is a lot like life. You can practice all the time and still not perform how you want to. In life, a person can put in the work day in and day out without noticeable results. All of the countless hours pay off when it is usually least expected. Success often follows failures and rough times.
The only way to achieve any worthwhile success is to never settle for anything short of greatness. Keeping high expectations and standards pushes a person to excel in their respected area of expertise.
Life will not bring greatness without the required time and undivided effort. Never settle for mediocrity- it’s better to not try at all than to willingly aim for average.
