Some say in order to get the most out of your life, you need to spend every waking hour working towards your goals. Others say the true meaning of life is found in simple pleasures, and one should have a stress-free life to truly live to the fullest. However both of these extremes are better suited when there's an optimal level of both in your life. Yes, in order to achieve things in your life, you will have to work hard and make sacrifices, but you also need time to have fun and enjoy life.
Being at either extreme will either make you very lazy or very overworked. If you work too much, you'll burn out and kill your motivation and passion. If you have too much fun, you'll lose your ambition to do anything, and won't accomplish much in life. The goal should be to balance your hard work with your fun. This is why many large companies provide their employees with a work-life balance. They understand that employees will be more motivated, satisfied and productive if they are given vacation time off and weekends to relax and recover.
Some of us choose to work seven days a week with hardly any breaks. That may be the case when we have extremely high goals, but it can also be defeating. Working too many hours kills your efficiency and can actually inhibit your success. If you were to take at least one day, or one hour of each day, and spend it doing something you enjoy simply for pleasure, you'll be much more refreshed and ready to work hard when the time comes! So work hard today, stay motivated, but make sure to have fun! Taking the time to reward yourself with a break could be the most beneficial thing you can do for yourself.
Yesterday, August 21 2017, the entirety of North America was treated to a solar eclipse. This event was so significant because it probably won't happen again in our lifetime. Hopefully everyone wore eclipse glasses, and nobody had any significant eye damage from looking at it. I myself took a break from work to check it out (with glasses of course).
But during the moment that the moon covered the sun and created near-darkness that afternoon, something else occurred to me. Other than the fact that it looked cool, the eclipse also served as a symbol for success. The moon completely blocked out the sun's light for a few minutes. The sun is about 400 times the size of the moon, yet for just a few minutes, the moon was able to cover up the sun. Something so small in comparison to the sun was able to block it out entirely.
Obviously the scientific reason for this phenomenon is that the moon is 400 times closer to Earth, making it appear bigger. However I still like the metaphor of something small being able to do something significant. Many of us are similar to the Moon, because we seem much smaller and less significant than the Sun. The Sun is more of a representation of those who are super-successful, well-liked and get a lot of attention of everything. Yet, the real reason we must continue to chase success is for those few minutes where we'll make a difference in the world. Unlike the moon however, most people won't make a change in the world, because they're afraid. They're afraid of failing. They're afraid of judgement. And they're afraid of working too hard. And most of all, they're afraid of the uncertainty.
But if you choose to eclipse your fears, and take your life to the next level, then just like the moon, you will eventually overpower those with the "natural talent". And it won't be just for a few minutes. Once you reach your true goals in life, you will feel a sense of euphoria that most others won't. You deserve to know what your life will be like when you work restlessly towards your goals. You deserve to live your dreams. But remember, you don't get what you want, you get what you work for.
Excuse the language in this one, but here Elliott Hulse provides a great insight on life. You may look at this title, and assume this is the opposite of motivation, but it is in fact the opposite. Essentially what Hulse is implying, is that you need to live your life the way you feel is right, not what others tell you to do. This video really impacted my life in a positive way, as I used to be someone who would literally lose sleep over other people's opinions of me. Now to say I've made a total 360, but I've certainly opened up much more than I have in the past.
Hulse talks about the importance of remaining detached from the comments and opinions of others. I liked how he talked about his own experience creating his YouTube Videos. He'll often receive positive feedback, where people say "Elliott, you helped me turn my life around!" And Elliott is glad he helped them, but at the same time he doesn't let it get into his head. He understands the importance of detachment, and realizes he's just doing what he enjoys, and is glad that others can benefit from his videos. Other times, Elliott receives hateful, negative comments on his videos. Elliott is sorry they feel that way, but tries to stay detached from them.
I loved how he went a step further with another, yet hypothetical example of this concept. He uses a great example of the hummingbird. The hummingbird represents you, following your passion or dream in life. Of course this is just a comparison, but Hulse talks about a hummingbird singing in the tree. One person yells that the hummingbird made his whole day! And another person yells that the hummingbird woke him up early, which pissed him off! Either way, the bird doesn't care, so he keeps on singing. That's just what the bird does. You need to realize, that like the bird, you have something or multiple things you want to do in your life. Unlike the bird, you instead choose to do what's comfortable and won't ruffle other people's feathers.
Remember that anyone who's one anything great, has been hated or judged by others. People voted against Abraham Lincoln. People judged Henry Ford. People thought Thomas Edison was an idiot. And still to this day, these people are judged for their success. People will always judge you, and they are likely doing so right now. Think about it. People you may be friends with or work with or even barley know might be judging you at this very moment. So people will judge you regardless of what you do, so you may as well do what you want. You may as well become successful and do what most others are afraid to do!
I want you to really think about this concept. Eat it. Live it. Breathe it. Don't just read this article and pass it by, I urge you to really try and detach yourself from the opinions of others. Only then will you truly be yourself. Only then will you be able to complete your life's work to the best of your ability!
In order for a car to go 100 miles an hour, it must first go 20 miles an hour
Before someone can bench press 300 pounds, they must bench 135 pounds
Before you can run a marathon, you must first run a mile.
Before you can be successful, you must build some momentum
Everyone who is successful at anything was once just getting started. The important thing however, is that you DO get started! What is it that you've been putting off? I don't care what it is or how long you've been putting it off. It doesn't even matter why you've been putting it off, because more than likely you will feel much better once you finally take that first step. At the very least get your feet wet.
I've spent so much of my life simply doing what was required of me. Going to work, going to school, filing my taxes, etc. And during this time I had goals. I had goals that I really really wanted to achieve in my life. But I never took any steps to get there. Now, one of my big goals is to be a motivational speaker. Instead of thinking up ideas and even creating doubts in my mind, I decided to start this blog to build some momentum. Sure, I may not be a motivational speaker yet, but I'm much closer to becoming one than someone who never did anything to reach their goal.
Similarly, I got extremely out of shape during 2016. It wasn't entirely my fault, because I hurt my chest and was unable to workout. And being so out of shape, it was intimidating for me to go back and try some tough workouts. So what did I do? I built momentum! I started by doing a 30 minute workout every single day. There was no pressure to perform, my only goal was to get a single workout in no matter how tired I was. Eventually, I got myself to the point where I could do longer, more intense workouts. And now, I'll be doing my first triathlon this coming Sunday!
You see it's not at all about being great to begin with. Nor is it about going all out on the first try. It's more about building momentum. Momentum is built through persistence. Persistence is built through will power. And that all begins with YOU. Making the decision to act, and work towards your goals.
Throughout the course of your life you will be exposed to a lot of pain, especially if you're trying to be very successful. A key skill that will help you on your journey to success, is understanding how to deal with different types of pain. Here, I've divided the types of pin you will encounter int three broad catergories. Knowing how to manage each type when you encounter it will make you much less prone to failure or quitting early.
1) Physical Pain
This is most commonly talked-about pain. This is the kind of pain you literally need to "push through" if you want to be successful. This pain occurs when you're doing physical activity. The majority of motivational videos are based upon pushing through pain in the physical sense. Understanding the basis of physical pain is very simple, but it's not necessarily easy. It takes a lot of willpower to increase your physical pain threshold. That's why many Olympians and professional athletes are such a rare breed. Because they're not afraid to push through extreme physical pain. You have to stay focused on the destination and reward for not quitting. If you focus too much on the physical pain, you will not be successful.
2) Mental/Psychological Pain
Have you ever been studying for an exam or reading a book, and felt exhausted after a certain amount of time? Or been sitting in meetings or filing taxes/paperwork for an extended period of time, and felt exhausted? This is mental pain. That's why people who work at a desk all day can come home and feel tired. It's not because they are physically exhausted, but mentally and psychologically exhausted. You must understand that your ability to persist through this type of pain is essential to your success in this day and age. With the advancement of technology, you may have to be at your computer or laptop for hours on end in order to be successful. You have to be willing to persist and push through the pain!
3) Emotional/Spiritual Pain
Whenever you are rejected by others or turned-down for a certain opportunity, you will experience emotional pain. The reason this pain differs so greatly from that of the other two, is that we on't actively seek out this type of pain. This specific type of discomfort occurs when another person rejects or betrays you, which is entirely out of your control. Ever applied for a job and didn't get the job offer? How did it make you feel? Most likely, you were less inclined to apply for a different job from that same company. That's becasue you let the hiring manager break your spirit, and you gave up. The way to push through emotional pin, is simply to be persistent. Here, you'e not just fighting against your own willpower, but your fighting against other people's opinion of you. You have to be strong-willed her. Other people will be against you, but if you persist against the grain, you will be successful. All in all, you need to be persistent in your pursuit of your goals. If you choose to push through the massive amounts of pain that will be throw your way, you'll eventually succeed. It won't be easy, and it won't happen overnight. You need to stay motivated over the long-term, and set our goals high.
I'll be honest, I was planning on using a different video for Monday Motivational. I initially had an Elliott Hulse video planned, and he'll certainly be featured here soon. But that was before I came across this one, and I feel as though this one is more relevant. I also liked how the first minute of this video had me hooked with the line "who do you want to be tomorrow? The guy who quit? Or the guy that kept going?"
This video features two speakers, Freddy Fri and Chris Ross. I hadn't previously heard of either of these speakers before, but after watching this video I definitely need to listen to more of their speeches. I personally loved the unique insight this video brought. Most motivational videos I've come across have focused mainly on the present moment, and the challenges you'll have to face. This video however, focuses on tomorrow. It's not about waiting until tomorrow to get to work, but more about how you will feel about yourself in the future if you choose to act today.
Every single decision you choose to make will affect your future. You choose to go to the gym this morning? Then you'll be more inclined to do so in the future. You choose to wake up at 5AM today? Then you'll be more productive and better prepared for the future. You choose to go to a networking event? That might land you a great business opportunity in the future.
You must realize that every opportunity you have is significant to your future. It may seem like no big deal to skip your workout, call in sick for work, or sleep in late one day. But it is a huge deal! While it may not seem that way, the decisions you make today, especially the really difficult ones, will determine who you'll be in the next month, year, and further in the future.
I want to leave you all with this one thought before you go about your day:
Even if you have the best thoughts and ideas, but don't put them into action, you will achieve nothing. An average thought plus execution, is worth much more than a genius thought that was never put into action. Make the decision to act today. It will make you a better person tomorrow.
