(photo: @seteales)
Three years now I have sat and waited. I’ve waited for my dreams to come to fruition. They haven’t. I’ve read books, watched videos, made plans, made better plans. My mindset has changed, and I can’t discount the value in that at all. I actually believe that mindset change is the first crucial step towards achievement. But that doesn’t mean I’ve reached those goals I’ve written down time and time again.
Eventually, tired of waiting, I made something. I did real actions, and got a real result. It felt good, really good. Like waking up for the first time in years, finally out of a haze. It wasn’t perfect. Far from it. I made a film, and it was so bad I still haven’t released it. Then I made another, and that same feeling rushed through me. It wasn’t great, but it was a hell of a lot better than the first.
This is a message to all of you who have big goals that haven’t evolved past goals. A message to those of you who think they know what they want to do in life, but can’t seem to get their ass off the couch. A message to people like me.
There are no silver bullets. No one magical piece of advice will give you the answer you seek. You probably aren’t even asking the right questions, and you likely already have the answers you need. Put it to use.
You could meet Tony Robbins tomorrow, and he could fill you completely with motivation, but unless you act on that motivation, you will stay in the same place. So that thing you’re afraid of? The thing you’ve been “researching” for some indiscriminate amount of time? It’s time to begin. Not later, not once you’ve finally figured out how to make it perfect, but now.
This isn’t to say you shouldn’t do your research. You should. You should reach out to mentors and try to find people who can share knowledge with you. But there comes a time when you have researched enough and you need to act! Continue to seek out knowledge, but do it alongside true and legitimate action. You’ll learn more from your experience then you will from any book.
If there are obstacles, then solve them. Do you need money for your project? Figure out how to do it for less, cut the fat. Pull all the strings at your disposal, then pull some more. Bring what you can together, and go all in. Put your whole fucking soul into it. Not through your eyes and ears, but through your hands, mouth, and feet. Embody what you want to become in every aspect, instead of idolising it.
And to clarify, don’t do half a job. If your goal involves a website, buying a domain name and creating an email/social media accounts isn’t enough! You still have to create actual content for the site. Not just one post. Not 3 posts. You need consistent uploads overtime! Don’t worry that it isn’t perfect. Go watch some of the early episodes of the Joe Rogan podcast. The production quality wasn’t very good at all. But now he’s on top of the podcast world. It’s persistent and consistent effort over time that you need. You will improve! Take action, and continue taking action, until your either dead, or your dreams are dead within you. I’m not sure which is worse.
There are no silver bullets. But there’s plenty of silver ore in the ground, and its not that hard to get your hands on pickaxe. It’s the swinging of the pick you’re avoiding. Go make your own silver bullet. Then fire it as accurately as you can. If you miss, that’s okay. Start mining again.
– JohnMstoryteller
Theodore Lee is the editor of Caveman Circus. He strives for self-improvement in all areas of his life, except his candy consumption, where he remains a champion gummy worm enthusiast. When not writing about mindfulness or living in integrity, you can find him hiding giant bags of sour patch kids under the bed.