“Self-esteem is not how much confidence you have in how well people perceive you, but how much confidence you have in whether or not you can manage your own life.”
Brianna Wiest
The “easy” life is overrated.
I do not crave an easy life.
Strong leaders are given the opportunity to develop that strength via struggle. You are not lucky when your life is too easy. This makes you weak; luck arrives when the challenges do.
When I look at the last 10 years it’s clear to see where I struggled or declined. Every single time I craved comfort, I got slapped upside the head. Why is this?
Because growth plateaus when there is no more turbulence. Growth is a literal byproduct of resistance.
Here are my favorite things about resistance and how you can use the trying moments to become a better version of yourself:
- It tempers you; things that bothered you before somehow matter a bit less every time you have to face them
- It reduces fear & worry; most of us are afraid of things that are worse in our heads than in real life, exposure therapy removes this
- It makes you pause; most of our problems come from running ‘quickly’ in the ‘wrong’ direction… there is a lot of utility in slowing down (throttling performance) to ensure you’re performing in the right direction
- It divides your circles; I like winning with people who like to see me winning and vice versa… nothing shows you who to roll with and who to abandon like going through adversity
- It cleans your hubris; the obstacle to learning something new is what you learned last year… letting go of what you think you know makes room for learning new things
- It resets you emotionally; if you’ve ever felt like you cannot feel, adversity will reset that and the deeper it goes the more powerful it heals… for me, last summer was the most adversity I’ve ever experienced and it allowed me to reset
- It sharpens your skills; you have to become better when there is more on the line… adversity offers you the option to become BETTER rather than getting angry
- It lines up your priorities; if you let it do its work then it will show you what really matters and what does not matter that much… this re-prioritization is extremely beneficial
- Lastly, it calls you FORWARD; oftentimes the most powerful place to be in is when you are afraid to go forward but you can NO LONGER go back… fear is not an indicator you are on the wrong path — indifference is an indicator you are on the wrong path.
Fear is an indicator that your journey is important.
Go where the fear is, not away from it.
“Everyone is looking for a quick fix, but what they really need is fitness. People who look for fixes stop doing what’s right when pressure is relieved. People who pursue fitness do what they should do no matter what.”
Kevin Myers
Cheers to a life of fitness!
-T
P.S. Each day, Monday through Friday, I publish daily mindset training. People rave about it because it’s simple, short, and usually very practical. You can access this two ways:
- Use the podcast feed
- Join the private community which includes discussion around the episodes