Goal
This week, I want to remind you of how easy your life is and what difficulties lie ahead.
You Are Becoming Stronger Everyday
Strength invites challenge.
“Men acquire a particular quality by constantly acting a particular way… you become just by performing just actions, temperate by performing temperate actions, brave by performing brave actions.” – Aristotle
You are an individual. To live your best life, you must progress. You must improve yourself, overcome your vices, and embrace virtue. Furthermore, as you develop your strength, habits, and attitude, you will find the struggles of yesterday easier to overcome. What do I mean? Here are a few examples:
- As you grow in physical strength, lighter weights are easier to conquer.
- As you grow in emotional control, petty people will have less control over your time.
- Furthermore, as you grow in skillset, beginner challenges will be a breeze.
Of course, becoming stronger, smarter, or suaver are good things. As you conquer past problems, you prove to yourself and others how capable you are.
Your Strength Today Invites Challenge Tomorrow
You’re becoming stronger every day.
However, there is a downside to self-improvement. As you grow in strength, so do the challenges you face. Let’s reexamine the examples above:
- As you grow in physical strength, you need heavier weights to continue to challenge yourself. Otherwise, your physique will plateau and decrease.
- As you grow in emotional control, you can face personal trauma and improve your relationships. If you don’t face emotional challenges, you will betray your progress and harm your momentum.
- As you grow in skillset, you will need to find more significant challenges. If you don’t, your skills will not grow.
The stronger you become, the bigger the challenges. The more you progress, the more accomplishments you will have to maintain. Furthermore, the better you become, the more you will want to help yourself and others.
Therefore, I want to talk about the value of seeing the struggles of today with positivity and gratitude. By reflecting on the uniqueness of your present efforts, you may find the strength you need to push onward and become your best self.
Realize That Today Is Easy and Tomorrow Will Be Difficult
As you grow in strength, so do your challenges.
“Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.” – Mother Teresa
Realize your present struggles will be easier than tomorrow’s battles. Keep your back straight as you seek to resolve the issues you have today. What do I mean by this? If you’re struggling to lift 100 pounds, the weights will grow once you conquer 100 pounds. Tomorrow, you will have to lift 105 pounds to keep building your strength. Therefore, your battle today (100 pounds) is a precursor to the challenges you’ll face tomorrow (105 pounds). Thus, today, in the grand scheme of things, is easy.
But, more importantly, your battle today will give you the strength to continue to grow. Lift 100 pounds now and develop into the person who is proud of their physical strength. Overcoming the challenge of today will bring you just rewards tomorrow. This process repeats forever onward.
Lastly, remember success builds on success. Battles you’ve won in the past have made you the stronger individual you are today. Your past self sacrificed to make you a better person. Pay it forward. Fight hard today, and tomorrow you will be more capable of facing the challenges which arise.
The Importance of Gratitude
Be grateful for your opportunities to grow and improve.
I want to end this discussion by covering gratitude. Gratitude is a crucial virtue because it removes the self-obsession individuals can fall prey to. Once we are self-obsessed, we become delusional, entitled, and unproductive. Therefore, gratitude is how we prevent the worst parts of ourselves from erupting.
Be grateful for your challenges. Be thankful for the progress you’ve made and the opportunities you’ve been given. Lastly, be grateful you have excess time, money, and energy to improve yourself and your life.
Be grateful for today. Your will, virtue, and spirit will help you conquer all foes and climb all mountains. Once you succeed, tomorrow will arrive and remind you of your desire to progress. Tomorrow will be stronger, but if you keep your head high, then so will you.
Actionables
- What challenges are you facing today? Why are you pursuing these challenges?
- What are your life goals? Monthly goals? What do you wish to accomplish today?
- How far have you come along in life? What was a skill you barely understood but are now a master? If you keep progressing forward, what do you imagine life will look like?
Please remember that it’s important to do the actionables. You’re not on this earth to simply read but to do. To become an individual, you must act more than you consume.
*Image credit to Unsplash.
