It Takes Grit

The human mind is capable of a great deal of things.

What's funny to me is how the mind loves to tell its user that it isn't able to do the things it can. Think about it. How many times have you given up on something or not even attempted it in the first place because you either thought it was too hard, too scary, or altogether impossible? And how many times have you done something remarkable and felt really accomplished afterward? I'll say the feeling after I've done something scary or difficult is a lot better than when I take the easy way out. Many times though, my mind has won the battle, and I've succumbed to its lies.

So what's holding us back?

Our willingness to suffer for the things we want. When it's all boiled down, the thing that's really holding people back in attaining their goals is the fact that they aren't ready to actually work for them. I strongly believe that humans have an innate capability of doing incredible things. Whether it's running a marathon or building a multi-million dollar brand from scratch, anything is possible.

The most successful people in this world are those that started with nothing and were ready to work their ass off to get something.

People claim to want things, but when they see what it actually takes to get them all of a sudden that thing isn't so great. Some excuses are, but not limited to: thinking it's too difficult, not having the right subject matter expertise, not being old enough. All of these are terrible excuses and are absolutely false. Nothing is too difficult if you want it badly enough. If you want the expertise, why not learn from the greatest teacher of them all, failure. And being young is actually one of the greatest tools a person can have these days. People want to help youth. And as a younger person, you have the time that adults do not. Being young is amazing because you can fail at things more frequently, which will help you learn how to do something better, or tell you whether or not it's for you at all.

The mindset of giving up when the going gets tough is infectious and it's really sad. Since it's the easiest option though, more often than not, that's what people will choose.

Why do you want it?

I think "why?" is one of the best questions in existence. If you can't think of an answer to that question 5 times in a row, you need to do some thinking. You should be asking yourself this quite frequently in your day to day life as it is a way to stay mindful in your actions. Asking it when you're trying to reach a huge goal is also very important because I feel like people generally don't think things through enough. A lot of times people do things for the wrong reasons. If you're doing something, ultimately it shouldn't be to please someone else, it should be for your greater good. By this, I don't mean being selfish and ignorant to other people, but to be doing what it is that makes you happy in the end. If you're a douche-bag that's a whole other story in itself. But doing what's best for you is the whole point of living in the first place. What's the point of having a life if you don't enjoy it? Alright, so the why? is covered.

Now, how are you going to get it?

To achieve your goals you're going to pour your blood, sweat, and tears into whatever it is you want. You're going to fail a whole lot and learn every time you do. You are going to be tested in every way known to man. You are going to want to quit. You might quit, but you'll remember why you started, and you'll come back with a fire even stronger than before. To achieve your goals, you have to want it. No. You have to need it. Whatever it is.

The best things in life come with hard work, and grit. Anything is possible with the drive. So stop complaining if you aren't ready to face that fact, and put a little elbow grease into life.