Rise Again From The Struggle

You don't lack the ability. You lack the belief in yourself first and the skill second. Of course, there are some exceptions, but generally speaking, this is true. When you fix the belief system, you make progress. Until then, you'll make excuses.

Overthinking is about control. You can't control the outcome and that bothers you. So you keep "thinking" of ways to ensure success. But it never comes because you don't control that part. You control how you respond to whatever happens. Maybe it works. Maybe it doesn't. Either way, you respond. Stop thinking and start doing. The rest will fall into place.

You think you're being defiant or keeping your autonomy... but you're just easy to control. So many people fall victim to themselves. They defy any advice or direction that will help them just to prove a point. Good job. You're actively working against yourself in some situations. In others, you're being controlled by the same people you think you're defying because they know you will do the oppos...

Honestly, people need to stop trying to read emotions in most situations. Just listen to the message and address that if needed. The reality is that you frequently misinterpret the emotion anyway, which leads to you reacting to the wrong thing. Their emotions are their problem, so that part doesn't matter to begin with. Learn to identify the message or start asking for clarity instead.

We've all been taught a lie. Those who can't tell you doing something over and over is boring. Eating the same meal is boring. Doing the same drills repeatedly is boring. Doing what it takes to master a craft is what some call boring. Yet these same people never skip a meal. Apparently, food isn't boring. Just eating right is. Those same people never made it to the top of their field. They just ju...

Most people today are afraid of silence. That's because you're afraid to be with yourself. You're afraid to know what you truly think. What's really going on in your mind. Yet that's exactly what you need. How else are you going to process the world around you and the events you've dealt with? Instead of running from the thoughts, learn to deal with them, move through them, and change them to be u...

Want to master a craft or subject? Here's my two biggest takeaways. Be curious. The more you are genuinely interested in a subject, concept, idea, field of study, etc., the more time you will willingly put into learning as much as you can about it. You will even start to think and develop ideas outside of the current knowledge. Use concepts from other fields you've worked in, studied, or heard abo...

Comparison is a necessary tool for growth if you are serious about becoming good or great at anything. How else would you know if you're improving? You have to compare multiple things to get data for growth and to mold and modify your training and development as needed. The real issue is a weak mindset and lack of analytical skills to understand the data from the comparisons.

If your mindset is poor, your sight isn't right. Life is all about perspective and perception. When you have a negative mindset, you will perceive everything from that negative lens. This means even good deeds or well-intentioned mishaps will be viewed as acts of evil and bad-intent when you have a weak mindset. You solve this by going to work on your mind first. If you aren't aware of the spirali...

Stop letting perfect be the enemy of good. If the only way you'll do things is if you can do them perfectly, then you might as well do nothing because you'll definitely suck at everything in the beginning. Or, maybe just ignore the dumbasses that try to convince you that it's perfect or nothing. If that were the case, I wouldn't be able to do anything physical. I have too many joint restrictions f...

We are not our possessions. Sure, a part of our personalities show in the items we collect, but we are not those things. The people we lose are not their items, either. Throughout life, we all collect stuff. Some of these things are fun and have happy memories. Some bring about sad memories. Most are just neutral, everyday things we use for cooking, cleaning, or entertaining. But none of them are...

Not everything in life will be enjoyable. That doesn't mean you can't have fun while doing those less than enjoyable things. Life is going to happen whether you want it to or not. So why not make the most of the time you do have? You can choose to sit around and be sad about things. Or, you can find a way to integrate things that will mean more in the long run. That's what I choose to do. I don't...

Are you trying to change habits? Maybe start new ones? Or delete ones that don't serve you anymore? There's one thing to start with... Define your why. Yeah, it's that simple in concept. Now, that doesn't mean it's easy. The deeper, more emotional the why, the more likely you are to stick to the habit when things get tough. You can define your why as something you're building towards for the futur...

Garbage in, garbage out. I know you've heard this about food before. Eat low quality food and get a low quality body. Both looks and function. But we're not focusing on that today. Instead, you need to understand this applies to your mind as well. When you constantly allow hate and negativity into your mind, that's what you'll show the world. Audit your inputs. Start eliminating the negative input...

Should you tackle big problems before small things? They will certainly have more impact if you have enough skill and drive to complete them, that is. What if you don't? Then start on the small things. In this approach, you still make progress on things that need to be done. But the bigger thing is you are now building the skill of building habits. That's right. When you struggle to stick with big...

Ravens are the only birds willing to attack an eagle. But the eagle is unfazed and simply flies so high the raven passes out and falls back to earth. Although this is just a tall tale, the moral of the story is still true. Little annoyances and things trying to stop you from your mission don't need to be fought against. Just keep rising, and they fall away to the next target. Trust your process. A...

Mental flexibility is key to being productive. Most things don't go as planned. So what? Are there still things to do? Can you change course quickly? Or do you bitch, moan, and groan instead of finding a way forward? This is where mental performance training comes into play. Training your mind to be flexible gives you the skill to move past that initial disappointment and on to the next task. Life...

Most things that you experience are actually neutral. Yet, based on their proximity to you or those you care for, you add a value of good or bad. This is important to understand so you can learn to stop reacting to life and start responding. When we allow the emotion of the moment to guide our actions, we are more likely to make things worse. Now, of course, this is more critical in the moments we...

One percent of your day is 14 minutes and 24 seconds. If we round this up to 15 minutes, this gives you a perfect target to work on hitting each day. Invest 15 minutes a day to improve a skill, physical abilities, knowledge, or any other area of life you know will add value. These gains compound over time and can dramatically change your life. I know, it sounds too simple. But true growth isn't co...

Focus and discipline are both skills you DON'T lack. You use them all the time... for the wrong things, most likely, though. I'm sure you are doing something without fail whether you want to or not. And you stay locked in on all the things you lack and believe will change your life if you only had them. What you actually lack, currently, is the skill to use these two skills on things that seem les...

When you're born, you look like your parents. When you die, you look like your decisions. What a great quote. It's true. You are a product of your habits and decisions. You have the power to be so much more than you're choosing to be. But you aren't willing to take responsibility for your own actions. So choose better. Decide to clean up your habits. Decide to build towards the best version of you...

Listen for the message, not the method of delivery. Look, people are people. We all overreact at times. Some people are intense, passionate, or just rude. That doesn't mean what they say is wrong, however. You can choose to get lost in the method of delivery and fight a never-ending loop of emotions or focus on the message. By listening for the message, you can identify the true talking points and...

It's the start that stops most people. So let's work on the start. You don't need to go big early. In fact, the smaller the better! Start laughably small. So small you would be a little embarrassed to say you couldn't do it, or you didn't have the time. This is a practice on showing up just as much, if not more, than the act itself. This simple technique is a great way to get going and gives you t...

You're too much. You're too intense. You're too passionate. Have you ever heard this from someone? Tell them to go f*** themselves and too go find less. You don't need people in your life who want to dampen your fire. You're meant to be a light and a force of good, not a puppet. Yes, you will go farther in life and do bigger things with a team. But with the right team, not just any team. So find t...

People use movies and music to learn lessons about emotions and events. That's fine, but it shouldn't be the only way you learn lessons. Stop running from your own story. Stop waiting for those emotions to go away when you refuse to deal with them. Stop trying to hold on to the best ones while new ones are trying to be formed. Start being the writer in your own story. Use the moments that bring up...