#10YearChallenge.
10 years is a LONG time if you’re looking forward, but when looking backwards, it seems like 10 years ago was just yesterday.
I think this challenge is a great opportunity not only for myself, but for others to be honest with themselves and reflect on their personal progress, or lack thereof.
If you could go back in time and give yourself advice, what would it be? Why would you give yourself that advice?
If I could go back to 2008(9) these are the three key things I’d tell myself.
1: Fuck what others think, do what you want to do in life. I grew up in a community where chasing your true dreams was never taught. Sure I was taught good values, however the community and environment was and is a cycle of repetitiveness. Go to church, school, church mission, college, marriage, family, and more church.
All the things that mattered to me were frowned upon. So I molded myself out of my own insecurities to please everyone around me. Because I feared rejection, I feared being humiliated, and I feared what “GOD” would punish me with if I didn’t follow is “law”. What a damaging way to live. So the first thing I would tell myself is, fuck what others think.. DO YOU, trust yourself, (Test yourself), and THINK FOR YOURSELF. What people think doesn’t matter because they aren’t you.
2: Take care of your body and mind. A decade ago I was almost 200 lbs. I am 5’5, so hiding my weight was not an option. When I decided to lose weight for the right reasons, I became addicted to benefits of positivity that came as a result. I did it for selfish reasons at first, it was to look good enough to get the hot chick.
That is why taking care of your mind is the 2nd piece to this. Taking care of your mind, means you take time to be honest with yourself and reflect on your life purpose. I don’t believe we are here to live under some law in hopes for something better in an unknown future/world. Taking care of your mid allows you to find your personal greatness and happiness now. Through meditation you can envision the person you know you can be., your ideal self. A North Star if you will. Taking care of your mind is also feeding your mind positive information. ( I can touch on this more later)
I think these two things, are a SUPERPOWER to personal greatness, purpose, and happiness.
3: Leave your comfort zone! Kind of tying back into the 1st point, you will never know how amazing you are until you test yourself outside of your comfort zone. This is the secret to overcoming fear. One of my favorite quotes is from the movie Bleed for this. Vinny (the boxer) explains the biggest lie he was told was that “It’s not that simple”. “That’s how they get you to give up”.. The truth is, that it is that simple. That if you just do the thing they said you couldn’t do, that it’s done.
Comfort zones are blocks to personal progress.
In another 10 years from now, I will be 43 years old. I know I will be in a great place in life because I am constantly working on improving my quality of life and going for what I want to achieve. NO, not everyday is perfect, but everyday I legitimately try to focus on what I really want out of this life experience is a win for me. And I know now, through a decade of experience, that positive choices, focused work, and purpose stacked overtime equal happiness (Success).
#HighFiveFriday 053
1: “It takes courage and work to roll with the punches and go after the life you want.” Jeremy Williams.
2: Seeking Wisdom, best of 2018 Part 2
3: “Heaven” by The Blaze
4: What do I have to do now, to level up for tomorrow?
5: Testing: My 3 hours of focused work theory. 1 hour focused, break, repeat, and repeat.