My dog plays with her toys until she gets bored.
And then she could care less about them.
It’s only when I take one of them away that she suddenly cares again.
And cares a whole lot.
We are so much the same.
We don’t really care about what we have until it’s gone.
If only we could enjoy what we have like it was already taken, maybe we wouldn’t have to get things taken before we could truly enjoy.
Starting a stopped body is hard.
Keeping a body in motion is easier.
Even if that motion is heading in the wrong direction.
Redirecting is easier than starting.
Which is why you should start even without knowing which direction is the perfect direction to head. You can always turn the steering wheel as you go. It’s really no big deal.
Just do what’s hard, start your damn engine, and get going already.
Life isn’t only a byproduct of what you do—it’s a byproduct of how you do what you do.
Take writing as an example. A book isn’t only a byproduct of the words that are used.
It’s a byproduct of how those words are arranged; how they are grammatically formatted; and how well they work together to communicate ideas.
If you took all of the words within War And Peace, for example, and rearranged them, changed the grammar, and disregarded the context—one of the all-time greats will be completely lost.
Same exact words. Completely different byproduct.
And so it is with life, too. What you do matters—yes. Just like what words you pick when writing a book matters. But, you can’t ignore the how.
How are you doing what you’re doing? Are you present or elsewhere? Do you care or are you only pretending to care? Are you pacing yourself or sprinting? Are you being true to who you are or are you putting up a front? Are your priorities really straight or are they actually backwards? Are you acting selfishly or selflessly?
The bottom line? Actions matter. But, don’t forget that intent colors actions with signals that are easily perceived by those whom the actions affect.
Asking questions doesn’t make you a fool; it’s you refusing to become a fool.
Seeking a coach isn’t a sign of incompetence; it’s you refusing to become incompetent.
Talking to a therapist isn’t an admission of poor mental health; it’s you refusing to let your mental health get to a poor state.
Asking for help isn’t you giving up, it’s you refusing to give up.
Work hard to become your best.
Become your best so you can give your best.
Give your best so you can bring out the best in others.
And when you bring out the best in others you’ll want to keep working hard.
Don’t be the person who says yes with their mouth and no with their actions.
We instinctually want what we don’t have.
This is true even for those who already have what we want.
It’s one big circle of everybody wanting everybody else’s stuff.
You want mine; I want yours; we want theirs; they want ours.
Until we decide that what we have is what we want.
It’s only then that we may finally break the vicious circle.