We all love reading great epic stories, ones that are filled with adventures, great sacrifices, successes, and comebacks, stories of human souls elevating to new heights or hitting rock bottoms only to rebound back up, stories we sometimes wish we were the heroes in them.
However, when it comes to our own lives, we usually settle for a far less exciting life, a predictable & calculated life, so safe and secure, yet many times boring and bland. We avoid the very thing we love in the epic stories we read because of the risk factor it carries or the insecurities we have inside of us that we don’t want to face. We overthink the consequences of our actions on our lives and the lives of those around us, our families, and loved ones, and sometimes we overthink that we cripple ourselves with our own fears. We forget that we can go as high as we wish and that it’s never too late to chase our dreams.
Now, it will be naïve to think that just because you are willing to take chances and follow your dream, it will be an easy ride, and things will work as smoothly as you wish. Great things in life are not easy to get, and they usually require hard work, sacrifice, and dedication; for the most part, they require time, so you also need to be patient. As said, “Don’t give up. Remember, it’s always the last key on the key ring that opens the door.” – Paulo Coelho’s Novel (Manuscript Found in Accra). You would need to take the high road, the road less traveled, which is a very bumpy road in most cases, and work hard to get what you want, so that when you get it, you will appreciate it a enjoy it. Somehow it always works out in the end, so if it doesn’t work out, it is still not the end.
In his best-seller book “The Exceptional Living,” Jim Rohn sets some life rules on how to deal with life’s challenges and overcome them to reach your goals. He asks that you focus on changing yourself, your mindset, and your life rather than trying to change the external world, which is always impossible.
• If you wish for anything in life, learn, study, and master it.
• Capture great ideas in writing and do not trust your memory; write them down in a journal, for example.
• You may not be able to do all your “find-outs,” but make sure you “find-out” all you can do.
• It is not what happens to you that sets the pace; instead, it is your reaction that matters.
• Do not wish it was easier; wish you were better.
• Learn to work harder on yourself than you do on your job. If you work hard on your job, you make a living. If you work hard on yourself, you make a fortune.
Some might ask why to work hard as everything is destined, which is their way of saying they are too lazy to make things happen and would rather be the victims of the external forces, and thus they cannot be blamed for their failures. A wise friend once told me an interesting analysis of destiny, and it goes like this; our life’s milestones are destined, and it is up to us how to reach them and which route to take. For example, say you were destined to get/win one million dollars. You can work hard & honestly and earn that million or use the easy way and get it unethically, but in all cases, you will get it. So the roads you take in life are up to you. In the famous series “Grey’s Anatomy,” a line said by Weber, which I found very interesting, “We are all gonna die, we don’t get much say over how or when, but we do get to decide over how we are gonna live. So do it, decide. Is this the life you wanna live? Is this the person you wanna love? Is this the best you can be? Can you be stronger, kinder, more compassionate? Decide”
Life is too short to waste on what-ifs and regrets on things you were too afraid to do, decisions you didn’t dare to take, or relationships you were too proud to pursue. Make sure you live a life you are proud to share with the world, and brag to your grandkids about a fulfilling and memorable life. Think of that one thing: if you were guaranteed success in it now, you would do it right away and then do it TODAY.
Happy New Year 🙂
