BECOMING A LEGEND

Eh..

Bleh…

Meh…

Sooo cat video?…

     Some days we’re not motivated. Plain and simple. It happens to the best of us, I think we can all agree on that. The difference between the champions and the rest of us shows itself in the ability to power through and make it out, rather than accepting the excuses that let us settle comfortably into our slump.

     There are so many distractions and “good reasons” in our world to temporarily pull attention from the goal, including everything from youtube to Netflix to “needing/deserving a break.” These distractions alone manage to seep through the cracks in our lives and reach us, trying tirelessly to break down our work ethic, no matter how tightly our doors are pulled shut. Now add our personal lives to the mix. There, my friends is a recipe for disaster. We have people who distract us when they’re there and possibly even more when they’re not. We have tasks and obligations that steal our energy away from our true purpose and make it difficult to refocus and get back in the groove. We have events such as vacations that can occupy our attention with excitement or anticipation before they even happen. We have doubts and fears, often completely unrelated to our goals, that nevertheless trick us into losing sight of the importance of achieving our dreams. The list is monumentally longer to begin with, and with each day that is added to any individual’s life that list grows and grows and becomes harder and harder to fight.

     Maybe we don’t always have to fight it. Anything done with passion will be infinitely more powerful than anything done without passion. In other words, use those emotions. Channel them and infuse them into your work, into everything you do. Use them to make yourself stronger and make your work stronger. Of course there are certain times when we don’t really have that option, when 2+2=4 no matter how we feel about it. It’s these times, times when your mind is relying on you, or times when we’ve simply become too caught up, times when stress has found refuge in apathy, that we put our inner champion to the test. It's times like these when we need to "just do it." And it’s times like these when we mustn’t underestimate the power of motivational speakers. Sometimes those same things that at one moment are our worst enemy, the ultimate distraction, the next moment may become a great asset. The world wide web, the very same that has brought you to many a cat video, and has also brought you to me today, allows us access to an overabundance of tools. Use them. There is one excellent motivational speaker who we came across a little while ago, (in fact Jorne used a quote of his just yesterday,) who just gets me going and stirs me up every time I hear him. I’ll post the video of this particular speech at the end here. Surround yourself with inspiring mantras and quotes, hang them on your walls, write them on your mirrors, I love to write them on my hand so it stays with me until I wash it off and write a new one. Ink poisoning? pfft. Doesn’t scare me. Sometimes we just need to put things not perspective: ink poisoning > failure. I’ll take my chances. 

     There are times though, when all of these wonderful and powerful people and speeches and sayings just don’t invoke the fire. Or they do but it’s temporary, fading fast. I personally am in a foreign place right now that I've never been to before, and honesty I just don't know how to be here. Imagine being in a maze that you can't make a home in but you can't find the way out. These are the times when we identify our outlets and find that release. Certain individuals are lucky enough that an outlet and facets of their work are concurrent, but even if they aren't believe that it's not a waste of time to take the time to work on finding peace. Don't be afraid of owning all of those parts of yourself, because if you aren't fully being everything you are, there is no way you can devote yourself the way you should to your life. After you've turned down the noise inside and really gotten some work done, turn it back up on high, let it speak to you, feel those feelings physically and mentally and let it drive you. The most universal release is of course music, but beyond that find what liberates those emotions. For me it's writing, drawing, dancing. For some it's more aggressive physicality such as running, kickboxing, etc. For some it's more energy centralized, executed through activities like yoga or breathing. For some it's problem solving like puzzles of all sorts, giving that definitive satisfaction. Whatever it is, find it. Use it. 

    

      "Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any one thing." -Abraham Lincoln 

     This is one of my favorite quotes. Success does not mean how much you've acquired in your life or the things you've accomplished. At the end of each day ask yourself three questions: 1) Who am I? 2) Who do I tell myself I am? 3) Who do I want to be? When the answer to these three questions is one in the same, we will know we have achieved success. That isn't to to say we aren't always striving to be better tomorrow, but rather it's finding contentment in the fact that we've truly and honestly done all we can for today, and solace in the resolution that tomorrow we will be better. We need to understand on such a deeper level than I see myself capable of understanding anywhere in near future, that when all is said and done there is only you to contribute to your own success or failure. All the "constants," the people, the things, the surroundings, are in fact not constant at all. All the good things in life may come and may go. All the bad things in life may come and may go. Until the day you die the only true constants are you and God.

 So quick recap: 

*Don't let outside sourced and completely irrelevant distractions in. 

*Listen to motivational speakers and surround yourself with motivation. 

*Let your passion drive your work. 

*In situations where you can't directly use that passion, save it and release it full throttle later. 

*Never lose sight of your own success. 

If you're anything like me, now that your head believes all this, the real task begins: convincing the heart. I wish you the best of luck. Go be great.