Those who lack purposes will never be successful. If there’s not a reason for you to wake up in the morning, if you don’t have a why for the things you do, you’ll never accomplish anything.
This is why such a small percentage of are able to make their dreams become a reality. It’s why so few people are able to do the things that they want to do. It’s the reason so few people are able to live up to their potential.
They don’t have a why. Or at least a meaningful one. We all have different dreams, but the difference between those who live their dreams and those who settle for mediocrity lies in the reasons we set out to accomplish our dreams.
Wanting to be wealthy is not a meaningful why. Wanting to have a nice car is not a meaningful why. Wanting a high-def plasma is not a meaningful why. Dreams of material possesions are superficial and fail to inspire us to perform to the best of our abilities.
The greatest athletes in the world will tell you that the reason they’re so dedicated to their athletic pursuits, the reason they train so hard, the reason they give 110% everytime they got on the field isn’t about soccer, or basketball, or football.
It’s about gritting their teeth to live to their potential, showing all the little kids that you can overcome adversity, you can make your dreams become a reality, if only you have the courage to pursue them and give them your all. I’ve always known this on a logical level, but something hit me on a deep emotional level today.
During math I was talking with a girl I recently became friends with and she asked me, “Are you naturally this happy?” She seemed to think the reason I always walked around with a smile on my face was because I took some type of illegal drug.
For the record, I’ve never done any drugs nor plan to. I know that my obsessive personality would likely end up leading me to dark places so I figure it’s probably best to never try them in the first place.
Anyway, I told her the reason I’m in such a good mood everyday is because I’ve optimized my lifestyle for personal satisfaction. I eat healthy, exercise, produce meaningful work, and maintain a consistent sleep schedule.
We talked about structuring your life to optimize your happiness for a few more minutes before I left to talk to someone else. As I walked away I heard her say to her friend, “Man he’s my inspiration.”
We’re good friends, and while I know she respects the things I do, I also understand that I’m probably not what makes her get up in the morning. I’m not the thing that drives her to make changes in her own life. But it got me thinking. What if I was?
As of right now there’s many people that I’m positively influencing, but probably few, if any who consider me their role model or inspiration. But what if I was? What if I was the guy who inspired millions of little kids and helped them realize they could do whatever it is they wanted to do? What if I was their inspiration?
Would it not be in my personal responsibility to the world to give it a 110% every single day and do everything I could possibly do to shape the future of the world for the better? Would it not be in my personal responsibility as a role model to millions of little kids to be the absolute best I could be?
And so I’ve been thinking, why not embrace that role now? Why would I have to wait for everyone to be watching me to live to my potential? Perhaps the reason millions of people aren’t looking up to me at this very moment is because I’m currently not living up to my potential.
If I don’t change the world nobody will and if I’m not living up to my potential now, nothing’s going to change when all eyes are on me. Sometimes I make excuses because I feel nobody else is being affected by them, but I now see it’s my responsibility to give all I can give, and be all I can be today to set everyone up for a better tomorrow.
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