Month: August 2019

Discipline Vs Regrets

What Would You Pick

If your life was filled with one thing which would you pick discipline vs regrets? The choice should be obvious, but we all know and you’re smarter than that. The obvious choice doesn’t always happen. It’s discipline vs regrets, what are you going to do?

I’ll be honest now at 29 the last few years I became a very self-motivated person. Do I have my off days absolutely? I still have days that I feel like I didn’t do enough? Do I have days that I think I suck and I didn’t work hard enough and I could have done better, absolutely?

Choices

Here’s the thing, I didn’t just wake up one day and say you know what, I’m going to be more self-disciplined and then you go on and take on the world. Yes, you might say the words and realize you want to better yourself and do better. But it’s not that easy, depending on how old you are. You have probably been living bad for years or you weren’t the most disciplined person in the world.

It takes time people and it takes work, don’t beat yourself up. I know it’s hard. Because I beat myself up and I rip myself apart far too much. I get so mad and feel like a failure. Am I really a failure in life because I didn’t get two things done on my list for the day, no. But that mindset of holding myself to a higher standard is what’s going to help me do better, and be a better person. Will I want to do it, no some days I want to just play video games like the old days and kick my feet up and chill.

Push Yourself

Is inflicting pain on myself why working out fun, yes, it is. I love it! Why would I want an easy workout, why would I just want to coast through it, how does that benefit me by doing easy stuff or the same thing day after day? The answer you’re looking for is it won’t benefit you at all. It will actually hurt you in the long run.

Why and how would it hurt me in the long run, great question thanks for asking? It’s going to hurt you because you’re potentially missing out on your future you that you were destined to become. That’s how it’s going to hurt you. If it’s just you, well then, it’s going to hurt your future self and the person you were meant to become. Say you’re married it will hurt your spouse. If you have kids it’s going to hurt them because they see the effort you put in.

Perspective

This poor mindset has been a battle my whole life. Some days I wanted to quit and not pursue writing anymore. I thought it was going to be too hard to publish my book and become a published author. My negative mindset and lack of confidence in myself almost prevented me from pursuing this dream of mine and turning it into a reality.

Imagine if I quit, what would I be doing. Honestly, I don’t even know and the scares the crap out of me even more than what I’m pursuing right now. I have no idea what I would be doing, who knows if I would even be alive. But I do know, I am alive and still breathing and happier then I have ever been in my life.

Stay Tuned

I’m now pursuing a career that always was a vision and dream in my head. It was a dream I have been looking at on my dry erase board for over five-plus years now. I wanted to be a published author when I started writing in the summer of 2012.

Now here I am at 29 and about a month away from publishing my second book with my wife. It was a project that we have been working on for the last couple of months. I can’t wait for the world to read this story that Lindsay and I have been working very hard on.

Enjoy the Small Wins

Another reason why I know I’m hard on myself or so focused and tunnel vision is because Lindsay tells me and people tell Lindsay how much we have done in the first 10 months of our marriage. She says we have done a lot, friends have said we have done a lot. I feel like we have done well and trying to prevent an argument, I say we have done a decent amount haha.

I think it’s just my mindset, somedays I’m so focused on the end result and kicking butt every day trying to get to the finish line. That I struggle to enjoy the moments when we’re going through them. It takes me some time to catch my breath and look back and think, wow look at what I did or we did together. I know it’s not the best mindset and view, but I’m working on it, sorry babe.

Flaws

I know I have my faults and my weaknesses that I’m still working on. But here’s the thing I’m always going to be working on those and trying to get better every day. The time I die, I’m not going to have any regrets, because I’m working my tail off to fulfill my purpose and what I believe God put me here on earth to do.

Now if I die a year from now, then yes, I’ll have a lot of regrets I would only be 30. But I’m talking about 50 plus years down the road. 50 years might sound like a lot, but it will come faster than you think. In the next 50 years. Do you want to work hard and live a good life? Or play it safe and just live and put your dreams and goals on the side because you’re scared of taking a risk? The answer should be obvious, it’s about time we start building some discipline and take are regrets and turn them into realities.

Preparing For Life

Ask Yourself

Have you ever prepared for anything really important before? Say studying for a test, practicing before the championship game the day before? Preparing For Life is vital to living your life. 

I read a book a few months ago. He talked about preparing for life. Some of the examples he mentioned were before a storm hits you have batteries for flashlights. Your practicing foul shots before the championship game. Studying before a big test. 

What’s Ahead

If you’re not preparing for the big event coming up what usually happens? You lose the game, you fail the test, you have flashlights but with dead batteries. We’ll none of that dose you much good. But sometimes I think it’s important for us to go through those tough obstacles and struggles in life. Going up those hills, climbing that steep mountain when were very vulnerable and feel lost and lonely is what helps turn us into the person we are meant to become. 

Life is the same thing. If you’re not preparing yourself and getting ready for what life might throw at you one day then you will be in trouble. Will it always be bad stuff, no. But in most cases, if you aren’t prepared it can turn into bad situations.

I Learned The Hard Way

How I prepared for life is the complete opposite of what you want. You don’t want to just go with the flow and let whatever happens good or bad happen to you. Now in some situations and circumstances that might be your only option. But in most cases, that’s not good or healthy.

But what I did was just that, I didn’t follow what I just told you. Then again, I’m 29 now and have gone through a lot of different situations in my life. Now is there more for me to learn, absolutely I have a lot more to go through. That’s a good thing because if you’re not growing you’re not pushing yourself and not getting better then you were? Your content and playing it safe. Also known as dying and not living up to your potential and that my friends is a shame and a waste of a life.

Don’t Do This

When I was younger and searching for my potential and waiting on God to give me a sign I realized what I was doing wrong. Now having some help from family over the years and having conversations with different members of my family I realized that was the wrong mindset. Waiting for God to make the next move was wrong. In some cases, that’s what you’re supposed to do. But I have been waiting long enough and not doing anything why I was waiting.

In all reality, I was doing the complete opposite of that. But that’s life, you learn from your mistakes, you grow and start all over the next day. Now is it frustrating and hard sometimes, absolutely and it sucks and I just want to break something or punch something like when I was younger and I would get upset? I would want to run away thinking that would help my situation and life get easier.

Your Outlook Towards Life

The examples you read above never helped my situations that I have been in over the years. Honestly, I think it hurt me sometimes. I was looking for a mask, I was looking for a way to cover and hide the issues that I have been struggling with for so long. The biggest and best way to learn from your issues and mistakes you go through is to stand up, dust yourself off and take that first step.

If you stay on the ground and pout and cry and pity yourself, what good comes from that? But, if you stand up then you count that as a win and a good first step. Then you go to the next thing and so on. Next thing you know you won’t just be walking. You will be sprinting and more excited about what’s in front of you and waiting.

Never Stop Working

Who knows if you keep sprinting and working hard you might be doing stuff you never expected. Maybe publish a book and overcome a weakness that you struggled with as a kid.

You never know if just being a little vulnerable and getting out of your comfort zone what it will do for you personally but also for the person or people your talking to? What if they are struggling like you were at one time in your life? Now you can’t do the work for them. Not because your bitter and nobody did the work for you. It’s because how will they learn and get better unless they do the work themselves?

Preparing For Life is a never ending project that you are on every day. It will be challenging, it will be frustrating but when it’s all said and done. If you do it right and your heart is in the right place. I think there is no other feeling compared to it.

Keep Your Head Up  

Lindsay knows how much I love her and that I have thanked God I don’t even know how many times for putting her in my life. But if I’m given the opportunity to help a kid or adult that is struggling and down and searching like I was or still am a little bit. If I’m able to lend a hand somehow and help them to get better and climb out of that funk. I don’t think there are many other things in the world that could top that.

That’s why if your down and struggling, that’s ok that’s normal. I still have my days even now. But the biggest thing you have to remember. Is to try and stay positive, it’s not always going to be easy. Pick yourself up again and take that first step and never stop Preparing For Life. If you do it right, who know’s what it will bring you?