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Invest in Yourself
The best investment you can make is in yourself. If you have a craft or dream job or something that you would like to achieve, you have to invest in yourself to give yourself the best odds of success.
This could mean paying for a personal trainer, going to school, paying for lessons, investing in some type of equipment, or anything else. I have made the most money in my life when I first chose to invest in myself.
You have to know that it is part of the process, and if you truly believe you can achieve what you are pursuing, your return on investment will be tenfold. We invest in a lot of things daily that are not very beneficial to us. Instead, try to use that time, money, and energy to propel you forward in life.
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Habits: Change is Possible
Habits are not permanent. You may have a bad habit that has persisted throughout your life, but you can randomly choose to replace it with a better one.
Similarly, good habits can fade over time and be replaced by bad ones. You don’t have to accept any counterproductive habits you have. Feeling down about them is unnecessary.
You must understand that with the right mindset and determination, you can develop new habits. Similarly, it takes the same mindset and determination to maintain the good habits that you have always had. Choose the life you want, then choose the habits that go along with that life.
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Back at One
Brian McKnight’s song “Back at One” refers to the idea of starting over in a relationship to reaffirm love and commitment to one’s partner.
This mindset can be applied to life in general. There are times when starting from the beginning is the best option for a given situation. Despite the humbling and discouraging nature of starting over, it can be the best path.
It is important to understand that starting from scratch is necessary to show love for someone or something, to learn properly, or to do something correctly. If one is unsatisfied with their progress in life, they should not fear starting over from the beginning.
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Play to Win
In sports, athletes are often taught to “play to win, not to lose.” This means taking an offensive and proactive approach, emphasizing the importance of taking risks and pursuing opportunities rather than avoiding negative outcomes.
However, in life, we often find ourselves playing it safe, avoiding risks and mistakes. This can prevent us from reaching our full potential and experiencing true happiness.
To succeed, we need to have confidence in ourselves and our abilities. We must take proactive steps to meet the people we need to meet, learn the skills we need to learn and make decisions that will set us up for success.
To play to win, we must first prepare to win by practicing our craft and finding the right resources to help us achieve our goals. Rather than focusing on avoiding setbacks, we should focus on achieving our aspirations.
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Choose Your Future Now
We often discuss delayed gratification, which involves postponing reward for a greater benefit in the future.
Similarly, there are negative actions we can take that can result in delayed consequences, such as poor lifestyle choices that can harm our physical health later in life. Bad habits and decisions can also have negative impacts on our future.
As we age, we have less room for error, and making poor choices can lead to feeling trapped or limited. Therefore, it is important to be proactive now and make choices that will benefit our future selves.
Every decision we make, from lifestyle choices to education, has long-term implications. By prioritizing delayed gratification over delayed dissatisfaction or displeasure, we can create a better future for ourselves.
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Achieving Anything: A Lesson from Kids
I enjoy watching youth sports because it’s amazing to see kids progress from having no knowledge or skill of the sport to becoming well-developed athletes as they grow older.
Some kids may be naturally gifted, but even they need to train and improve their skills. Watching kids is a reminder that we can do anything we want. Even if we don’t start off being good at something, with time and effort, we can become proficient.
Just like kids can’t quit basketball if they want to achieve their full potential, we can’t give up on our goals and aspirations. It’s never too late to learn something new. Find something you want to accomplish, put in the time and effort, and watch the results show.
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Energy for Success
Our energy is limited. When we are putting it towards one thing, something else isn’t getting any energy.
Sometimes we have the right energy, but we are putting it towards the wrong source. We have to find what we are passionate about and put our energy into that. We have to find those that we care about and put our energy into them.
Not every activity deserves our energy, nor does every person. Once we master how to properly apply our energy to things, life becomes much easier.
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The Journey of Parenthood
This is my first Father’s Day as a father. It’s crazy to think about. Where the time has gone? I definitely appreciate this special day now that I’m a father.
Parenthood is such a unique thing. You solely play a big role in the trajectory of someone’s entire life. That’s a big responsibility that requires steady work. Those who do a good job, or the best of their ability, deserve to be acknowledged.
It’s like positive reinforcement. It’s like everyone is saying, “You’re a good father or mother, thank you, here’s a gift. Keep it up.” That’s how it should be for all things positive. We should celebrate and encourage it.
So, shout out to all the fathers out there who are parenting to the best of their ability and being a positive impact in their kids lives. Keep leading, keep growing, and keep celebrating yourself and others along the way.
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Breaking Self-Limiting Beliefs
The other day, I painted a wall a different color at my home. I did it all by myself, with a little bit of help from my wife. Now, this might sound like a simple task for you, but it was a big deal for me.
I had painted that same wall in the past and wasn’t satisfied with the results. Because of that, I wasn’t confident that I could paint the wall again myself and have it turn out well. That was a self-limiting belief. Because of that self-limiting belief, I delayed painting that wall for months.
I thought of every reason why I couldn’t do that job. I even searched for who could paint the wall professionally and was about to pay more money than necessary to get the job done. Eventually, I made up my mind that I was going to do the job myself and researched how to properly paint the wall and the tools I needed.
This time around, painting the wall was easier and actually kind of fun. I just needed the right tools and knowledge to help me succeed. The same goes for anything in life. There might be something that you think you can’t do right now, but with the right preparation and the right tools, you can do anything that you want in life.
Don’t let self-limiting beliefs hold you back in life. Know that you can do it, even if it’s not at this very moment. Keep a positive “I can do it” attitude and have people around you who believe in you and can encourage you.
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Right People, Right Positions
In Jim Collins’ book “Good to Great,” he discusses the importance of having the right people in the right positions within an organization, also known as “having the right guys on the bus.”
This concept is crucial for ensuring the success of a business and can also be applied to personal success. It is important to have the right people around you to help you achieve your goals and support you in your endeavors.
When you have the right people on your bus, you can trust that they will be there to support you no matter where you are going. It is common to have dreams and ideas, but it is important to ensure that you have the right people on board to help you achieve them, whether it’s in running a business or your personal life.
FLY, BLACK BOY 