The other path

Taking the long-term view is one of the hardest parts of life. 

The short-term view is enticing and alluring. It offers you something now; not minutes, hours or days later. 

It’s hard to compete with the fast food like feedback the of the short-term. 

But that’s exactly what you’ve got to do if you’re ever going to “make it.” If you’re ever going to reach goals, dreams, and realities worth reaching. 

The funny thing is, you’ll get exactly what you pursue. 

By all means, pursue the shiny object that offers immediate feedback. 

Just know that the lofty and ambitious things you desire aren’t found on that road. 

They’re found on the other path. 

The path of delayed gratification, perseverance, and discipline. 

While walking that path isn’t always fun, it’s the only one that’ll get you where you’d like to. 

Discipline's best friend

Mental toughness is discipline’s best friend. Rarely do you find one without the other. They’re so close they’re often mistaken for twins.

Maintaining discipline requires the resolve to say, “No.” Your heart and your stomach are going to fight to convince you to say, “Yes.” You can’t let them win.

Mental toughness is the superpower behind the disciplined man. It acts like a guardrail that keeps you on the right path. When weakness whispers in your ear and entices you stray, mental toughness kicks into action.  

No time to coast

The holiday season is upon us with Thanksgiving mere days away, and Christmas only a few weeks beyond. 

It can bring a lot of stress and drama into your life. 

What to get everyone and how to make every person you know feel loved and special?

The slow depletion of your bank account or ever accumulating debt adds to this stress. 

But these are not acceptable reasons to coast these next several weeks. 

Coasting is the temptation most face between now and the New Year. 

It is in the air this time of year. Everyone it seems is shifting things into neutral and waiting for 2017 to end and 2018 to begin. 

Don’t let that be you. 

Resolve to hold the line. 

To remain vigilant and consigned to the disciplined path. 

Discipline won’t allow you to coast. It forces you to stay in the game and keep moving forward. 

Does that mean you can’t relax and recharge? No, it means you don’t waste your time the next 6 weeks. 

It means you keep getting up early and grinding it out. 

It means you don’t blow all the hard work you’ve put in this year by letting it all go right before you cross the finish line. 

Let everyone else take time off. Let the whole world coast these next few weeks. 

You’ll be busy getting after it and taking ground. 

Blame

This blog is one about improving yourself mentally, physically, relationally and in every way possible.

It’s about helping you think differently about the path you walk. To consider ideas and perspectives that encourage and uplift you, but also challenge you to do things differently. 

You will fail in your doing, however. All of us do. 

But who’s fault is it?

Where do you turn for answers and most importantly who do you blame?

While there may be environmental, economic and physical reasons why things don’t go your way, there is ever only one person to blame.

You. 

Your failure is no one else's fault. It is wholly your own. 

The sooner you embrace that truth, the sooner you’ll be ready to do something about it. 

To correct course and move forward. 

As long as you're stuck blaming everything and everyone else other than yourself, however, you’ll remain stuck and unable to gain traction. 

Too many spend their lives playing the blame game. Don’t let that be you. 

Take ownership of everything in your world. The good, the bad and most importantly the path forward. 
 

Fear of failure

There are a lot of things that can keep you from getting after it. 

Fear of failure is one such thing. 

It will cease you by the throat and leave you paralyzed if you let it. 

You don’t want to fail, and if trying means there is a greater than likely chance of failure, you might choose to not play the game. 

But that would mean wasting your time. 

If you’re not failing, you’re not growing.

Failure is part of the pathway to victory, because of what you learn in the process. 

It teaches you resolve, forms your character and strengthens you like nothing else can. 

Failure might seem like the enemy, but like discipline, it ends up being your best friend. 

One you couldn’t get along without.