I’m Sorry… But The Joke’s On You!

Have you ever wanted something really bad in life, and after many years of struggle and hard work to get the object of your desire, it finally became yours? Maybe a college degree, learning how to ride a bike, running a multi-million dollar business that started out as an idea on a cocktail napkin ten years ago or maybe just getting in shape?

I notice the older I get and the more I achieve things that were really hard fought to achieve, I grow ever more patient, humble, and confident in my abilities. Achievements that, over the years are a direct result of hard work, taking relentless action, noticing what’s working/or not working, and changing/adapting my approach accordingly. When it takes you many years of what seems like endless and futile efforts to achieve your goals and dreams, you really gain an appreciation for what you have. A sense of gratitude is a natural result. But after you’ve crossed the finish line & succeeded, did you ever find yourself contemplating how silly and fearful you were at times prior to your success?

Once you finally accomplish all those things that scare the crap out of you right now, you will look back and laugh at yourself for being such a jackass. You will realize, the outcome was never in doubt. “Continuous effort – not strength or intelligence – is the key to unlocking our potential.” ~ W. Churchill. As long as you just continued to take relentless action over the years or decades it took to realize your most audacious goals, you were always going to eventually succeed. What makes you laugh and call yourself a jackass is… all the drama, fits, anger, frustration, tears you shed, etc. that you experienced along the journey to achieving your goals and dreams. “Most of the important things in the world were accomplished by people who have kept trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.”- Andrew Carnegie.

How many things did you fail to recognize as the blessings they were due to the fact you were so focused on the future; instead of trying to find a way to live in the moment, as well as, enjoy the journey and process of slowly creating your ideal life over time. You’ll think about all the times you got upset at other people just because you were scared. Scared things would never work out or get better. So you treated others harshly by projecting your own toxic emotions onto others. Instead of being present with and authentically experiencing your dark feelings and emotions when you have some time to be alone by yourself. We all lash out at others when we tend to be in a fearful and unresourceful state. We project our “stuff” onto others as a way to not deal with our own dark emotions.

Do you know what is always behind anger? FEAR (False Evidence Appearing Real). When ever human beings get angry, deep down they are afraid of something. They fear something. Which leads to anger. Anger leads to people trying to force the outcome they desire.

Dr. Wayne Dyer has this analogy about an orange. What happens when you squeeze an orange, what comes out? Orange juice. Why? Its an orange! What happens when life squeezes you? What comes out? Love, kindness, peace? Or maybe, anger, hostility, bitterness? That’s something to think about.

What else can you do but fucking laugh at yourself? If the future was never in doubt as long as you are taking relentless action, what the hell did you get yourself so worked up about when things went sideways? Life is constantly changing. Successful people, are just really good at adjusting/changing their approach when calamity hits or things don’t go according to plan. They tend to be quick to adapt and change their approach, but slow to change their mind (when it comes to their purpose/goals/outcomes that are most important to them).

Always believe that you will ultimately succeed at whatever you do, & never forget the value of persistence, discipline, & determination.-Jason Allen