The 3 Gems I've Found In The Pit

In life, there are moments when things don't go as planned, and we may feel unsure or overwhelmed. These challenging moments are what I call "pit moments." They prompt us to question what we know about ourselves. However, despite the difficulties and discomfort, these moments can also be valuable opportunities that teach us important lessons and help us develop.

Through experience, I have found that these moments can give us three valuable gems.

The first gem we gain from challenging moments is the self-awareness we cultivate. During a crisis, it is easy to blame others or external factors. But when we are honest with ourselves, we can see that our own choices and actions contributed to the situation. Your situation is not the fault of the government, your family, or anyone else. It's your baby, own it.

It is the mentality of the meteorite that Tom Bilyeu so explicitly talks about. If a meteorite were to land on his wife, he often says, he would take full responsibility for it. It's what Jocko Willink also calls "extreme ownership", which is learning to take 100% responsibility for what happens in your life, even if you feel like a little tiny victim who has the whole world against them. Only that way will you be able to change your situation.

This leads to the second gem, which is learning how to be less stupi... make fewer mistakes, and not fall into the same hole again. It's about the very act of learning the lessons and why you got there in the first place. What really caused this? You need to reflect, and you need to be brutally honest to yourself. This realization allows us to learn from our screw-ups and make better decisions in the future. There is a mindset I've gained from such moments, which is asking myself: "How can I make 100% sure this doesn't happen again?" Then set up the guardrails and necessary measures to get the result you want.

The last and perhaps the most valuable gem is the sheer determination to avoid similar situations in the future. I call these the "never agains." It's that moment when you say to yourself: "Never again will I be in this situation." When we recognize how not-so-happy the experience was, we can commit to never again jeopardizing our well-being or mental peace. This decision empowers us to be a beast that will never let that thing happen again, no matter what.

My habit of saving came from such a moment. There was a time when I found a Q10 bill in my wallet (which translates to around $1.5). I felt happy I found that unexpected bill. Then I realized the not-so-funny state of the situation, which was that I was feeling happy for $1.5 when, in reality, I've had thousands of dollars in my account, and it was my administrative skills that got me there. Right then and there, I decided: "Never again will I be in this place again. From here on out, I will always have money."

So I started saving like a madman, which is now one of my most honed superpowers. That is my nature now, to the point where I am learning to have an abundant and investor mindset and focus more on investing and ease a bit on the saving, while still being super responsible for my future.

Don't ever dismiss the "never agains" that come from those moments.

In conclusion, while challenging moments can be tough and trying, they can also be opportunities for growth and development. By embracing these experiences and learning from them, we can transform difficulties into valuable lessons and become stronger, wiser, and more resilient individuals.

As Ray Dalio says, "pain plus reflection equals progress."