You have to be your own worst critic and your biggest motivator.
You have to be brutally honest with yourself, but also loving and understanding towards yourself.
Sometimes, adjustments from our errors don’t come until we’re the ones to point them out ourselves.
Sometimes, you aren’t as motivated until you believe in yourself and your ability to carry out a plan.
Nowadays, I have to stretch every morning and every night. When I don’t do so, I can definitely feel the difference. This helps keep me loose and nimble.
I have to stretch even more before partaking in a physical activity. There was a time when I could just jump into an activity without even warming up and be just fine. I might hurt myself if I do that now. The body changes over time, so I now must do more in order to perform the same way I did in my youth.
I’m glad I know this, because the same applies to life. Sometimes we have to give more or do more than we did in the past to get the same results or better results. I can’t expect to do the same exact things I was doing in 2023 and get 2024 or 2025 results. I must adapt.
I might have to do even more now, the same way I have to stretch more nowadays. So maybe you’re going in the right direction with your action, you might just have to do more.
People often say they miss being a kid because childhood represents a time of innocence, freedom, and a more carefree existence compared to the responsibilities of adulthood.
I think it’s all relative though. Kids may not pay bills or make adult decisions, but they do work hard and have characteristics that we can still model after even as adults.
Kids learn a lot. They learn multiple subjects every day. That’s something I miss about childhood and something I still try to do. Kids are very active also. They play a lot of sports and have a lot of extracurricular activities. For a lot of people that’s the most active that they have been in their lives.
We might still need a “recess” as adults, or just 30 min of some physical activity. Kids dream big and have a big imagination, both of which can be helpful to have as an adult.
So we can miss being a kid but at the same time, we can still learn from kids or even our childhood and implement some of those things into our current life.
Today marks one year that I’ve written and posted a blog every day.
Wow, where did time go? 365 blog posts in a row. The high schooler version of myself would be shocked and impressed. I never thought I’d voluntarily write something every day, but things change.
What seems out of reach is often very possible. I now know I can make a commitment to do something and follow through on it. I now know we have enough time in the day to do all the things that we need to do. It’s often not a lack of time that’s the issue, it’s the lack of effort or energy that can hold us back.
Writing a blog every day for a year has been a cool experience though. I’ve learned to better express myself. I’ve learned how to write no matter my mood. I’ve connected with people that I may not have connected with if I didn’t write a blog every day. Hopefully, I’ve inspired others to do something they love to do also.
Most importantly, I’ve raised the bar on what I can do. Any idea that I have, or goal or challenge I’d like to complete, I must do it, for I know it’s possible and that happiness and opportunities wait for me once action is taken.
I challenge you to do something that you like often, if every day is not yet an option. Don’t have self-limiting beliefs. Know that sometimes it’s nothing to it but to do it.
Last night, the fire alarm went off in our apartment.
It’s a loud alarm that makes noises and talks. It’s not the ideal thing you want to hear at like 4 in the morning when you’re trying to sleep. So I did what most would do in that situation; I lay there in bed, annoyed, until the alarms finally stopped after a few minutes, and I went back to sleep.
Luckily, there wasn’t a dangerous fire actually happening in my building, or I would have been out of luck.
Sometimes God might send us signs or “alarms” in our lives, and we ignore them or aren’t fully aware of them, the same way I treated that fire alarm.
I’ll make sure I’m truly listening to God and all of His ways of talking to me. I’ll work on evacuating the building in the middle of the night when I hear the fire alarm too. One may be easier than the other though, and it’s not the latter.
So far this year, there have been a few things that I said I’d do, but I haven’t done yet. I still have time to do them, so it’s fine.
There are also things this year that I said I wouldn’t do, that I haven’t done. That’s the best feeling.
Now I just have to continue not to do the things I said I wouldn’t do this year, and make more of an effort to do all the things I said I’d do this year, and I’ll be all set.
One thing that I often hear older people say about life is that they didn’t realize how short it is.
When you start out it looks like you have forever, and when you start getting into it, you realize it’s not that long at all.
So it’s really all about what we do in that short time. Some people do a lot and leave an impact on the world and may even gain a lot of money. Some don’t do anything, and the start and ending of their lives don’t look too different.
I think how satisfied we are with life being short is related to how much we do while here. So do as much as you can. Accomplish those goals, follow through on those ideas, do everything that you want, and maybe even do them with a sense of urgency, since we don’t have too long to be here.
Thoughts become things. Our thoughts have the power to manifest into reality. That’s good when it comes to positive thinking and goal achievement.
Sometimes our thoughts can be our biggest downfall. There are thoughts we shouldn’t think anymore, things such as past trauma or past mistakes. Those things have happened in the past, but as long as we still dwell on them, we give them power to control us in the present or future.
Just like in sports, you’re supposed to have a short memory in order to continue to perform to the best of your ability; the same goes for real life.
It’s key to deal with a situation and then not think about it ever again. I know it’s easier said than done, but it’s possible nonetheless.
It’s crucial to plan because it helps you figure out what you need to do and how to do it, making things go smoother in the end.
It’s only half the battle, though. I know for me, there are times when I can get too caught up in planning and not do enough. Sometimes we can even continue to plan as a way to avoid the task.
Nowadays, I’ve got to take things into action as soon as they are planned. This helps maintain momentum and prevents procrastination or potential loss of motivation.
You have to start somewhere.
Sometimes, when the goal is big, the road to achieving that task may seem overwhelming. If you just start where you are, even if it’s something small, you’ll be good.
You may have these grand fitness goals, but starting off with just a small walk can be a great start. You may want to write a book. Writing just one sentence today would be a great start.
You have to start somewhere.
Sometimes it’s just about starting and consistently doing something after that, then you gradually increase the load until one day you accomplish your big goal.
So whatever it is that you’d like to do this year, just start.
FLY, BLACK BOY 