2 - decision
“While we wait for life, life passes.”
- Seneca
You might not want to be a world champion boxer, or one of the worlds greatest comedians.
It’s important to be realistic.
But everyone has something that eats away at them. It might be a hobby that you want to go pro in, or something that you’ve never had the opportunity to do.
Whatever it is, it’s sat in your mind for long enough.
In order to achieve it, you need to make a decision.
Is it a goal, or a fantasy?
Not sure?
They are separated by one thing
Work.
A fantasy is something you want, but you’re not prepared to do the work to get it.
A goal is something you need, and you’re willing to do whatever it takes.
For all of the people mentioned in the previous chapter, they saw their desire as a goal. They were willing to do the work.
So think back to what you want, and decide:
Is it a goal, or a fantasy?
This is a profound decision to make, because in doing so, you have to confront a hard truth.
There is a gap between you and your goal.
That gap is uncomfortable.
So you fill it with excuses to justify your situation.
You bullshit yourself.
Right now you will be going through a familiar mental process. You are standing at the edge of your cave looking out at the world before you.
This is when it starts.
Your bullshitometer will be running overtime, pumping out reasons why you can’t do what it is you want to do.
Your excuse-o-matic will be filling you with excuses why you should stay exactly where you are:
in your parents’ basement
in your crummy apartment
on a friend’s couch
or standing on a packed, smelly train on the way to a job you hate
Wherever you are reading this, prepare yourself.
You are about to see something that’s always been right in front of you, only your vision was clouded by bullshit and your goal was hidden behind excuses.
But throughout this change a part of you will stand in the way.
It’s what everyone does to themselves.
Why?
It’s ingrained in us.
It’s the reason that we are here today.
But it’s also the reason why we are stuck where we are today.
And what is that reason?
It’s because we never left the cave...