Anyone Saying You Can Have What You Want is a Liar
You can earn what you want, if you’re willing to work for it
It’s nearly 11 pm and it’s still daylight outside.
I’m currently in the Yukon, one of Canada’s northernmost territories and as you travel this far north, things begin to get weird.
Being only a few hundred miles from the Arctic Circle means experiencing summer nights and winter days that don’t behave like they do in more southern points.
In Summer, days are bright for most of their twenty four hour cycles, and in Winter, days are almost completely dark.
It’s unsettling and does a real number to one’s regular rhythms.
Got me thinking about how we so often look for the optimal conditions in starting new initiatives, and how rarely those conditions present themselves.
How our days can so easily get in the way of what we want and need.
Raise your hand if you’ve ever said any of the following, either to yourself or others.
I have a great idea; I need a little more time and a bit more money to get it off the ground.
My dream is to create ( write a screenplay, take pictures, draw a comic, etc. etc. ) but there just isn’t enough time in the day.
I can’t get healthy, the time or money is too much.
Does that sound like you?
Well, I have news for you. You’re right.
Putting in the effort to do those things will be hard.
You Will Make Progress If You Make Sacrifices
Want to be a creator, while you still have a full-time job that pays the bills? You’ll have to get up early or stay up late devoting time to your craft. Forget about that extra hour of watching your favorite show, or spending a few nights a week at the bar with your friends.
That shit is over.
Want to improve your health? Put down the pizza that is so delicious, drive right past the Dunkin Donuts on your way to work, get that sugar out of your coffee.
That garbage needs to go.
Have an idea that you truly believe can be a business, one that can sustain your family and build your future fortunes? Get off social media and get reading. Fill in the blanks in your knowledge, teach yourself what you don’t know about operating a successful business, understand that it won’t happen overnight and it might be months or years before you’re ready.
Have a long-term outlook on your life and work towards it.
No matter how many articles you read, telling you how following your passion will make you happy. No matter how many blog posts and videos you devour telling you that things can be easy if you implement the right shortcuts, take the right supplements, or follow someone else’s path to success, the truth of it is that nothing good comes without putting in the time.
Nothing in this world comes to people who don’t work hard.
Not does hard and making sacrifices get you to where you want to be, but it will also bring all the satisfaction you need because nothing beats a sense of accomplishment.
So stop looking for that next magical time-saving post, or piece of productivity software. Stop sucking on the teet of advice from people who aren’t you, don’t have your challenges or your goals. Spend less time on Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, et al., and start doing the things that move you forward.
It takes one step in the right direction to begin.
So what will your step be?
Further Reading
If you’d like to weigh in what I’ve written, shoot the shit or if I can help out in any way with writing words or helping refine your product or technology strategy, drop me a line: kerry@betterstory.co or find me on Twitter.