Read Homer 's Odyssey and you'll feel bad for the hero. After 10 years of fighting Trojan horses at the end of the world, Odysseus and company rush off the wooden horse and finally sack the city. But Zeus holds a grudge and his return journey takes another decade. Meanwhile, Odysseus is shipwrecked, trapped, and sent to Hades. At home, dozens of suitors try to take his wife and his fortune and plot to kill his son. These are just the first chapters. Lesson? Stop trying. Building a remarkable life is difficult, and fulfilling your destiny isn't for everyone. You want to enjoy life, right? So stop breaking your back to get somewhere! Here are some surefire ways to get around those annoying life challenges.
Related: How Badly Do You Want The Life You Want? 1. Stop talking to new people. They have loads of new ideas and inspiration to distract you from your routine. Working with the same stale information in quiet desperation may not move you forward quickly, but building new relationships takes time and you're busy. But if you must grow, commit to setting up three coffee chats a week with new people. Use LinkedIn, Meetup.com, and TenThousandCoffees.com to find industry allies, business partners, or a mentor. Why? Keith Ferrazzi, author of the business classic Never Eat Alone, believes that connecting with others is one of the most important life skills. “People do business with people they know and like,” he writes. Start talking to strangers. Present them with your ideas and challenges and ask them questions. A new perspective can help you overcome your biggest obstacle. Plus, you might be introduced to someone who can save you years of time and effort in reaching your goals. “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. -Albert Einstein
2. Don't waste time reading. Ideas are inferior to action. Cluttering your head with knowledge will overload your brain and prevent you from taking action. It's better to just do, do, do. The hard-earned expertise of others cannot match the value of your own experience. 21st century business wisdom is infallible: failure is good. However… If you want a shortcut to failure, you can stand on the shoulders of others. Reading cuts into your social time, but what if your next book contains the idea that makes you $50 million? Most leaders are readers. Jim Rohn said, “Reading is essential for anyone looking to rise above the ordinary.” Warren Buffet reads 80% of his day. Bill Gates: about a book a week. These are not outliers. Author Steve Siebold interviewed 1,200 wealthy people and found one commonality: They are avid readers. 3. Tell yourself you deserve another hour of television. Twenty-four hours is alooongdaytime. Eight for sleep, eight for grueling work, then your musts: commuting, cooking, and showering. When do you have time for yourself? This horizontal hour of Netflix and wine is sacred – don't skip it. If one hour feels good, imagine how two would relax you. You can develop your side business tomorrow, after recharging your batteries. Or the weekend. Or next month. You can't do quality work when you're tired, right? Yet that is exactly what remarkable people do. They appear when they are sleepy. They put on their shoes when the idea of running is indistinguishable from 20 years in a labor camp. Why? They know the only pain is in the dread before departure. The work is generally bearable, if not enjoyable. Use a persistent start to overcome procrastination. “Keep starting and the finish will take care of itself,” says author Neil Fiore. Commit to the bare minimum: work for five minutes, write a sentence, or do a single push up. Anyone can break a low bar, even when dog-tired. Getting started is key. You'll find that five minutes often turns into 50, and the work wasn't so nauseating after all. 4. Avoid the gym – you need rest. Physical exercise is strenuous. Lifting weights creates microscopic tears that hurt you for three days. The myth that running causes joint problems has been busted, but a five-mile run guarantees pain. It doesn't matter that this pain helps your muscles get stronger; pain is pain, something to be avoided at all costs. Again, if you're sadistic, you'll point out that physical activity is better than coffee for boosting energy because it increases the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to your cells. Personal trainer Jon Joachim says that in addition to boosting energy, “exercise can help you manage cortisol levels, which reduces stress.” It also helps your brain stay focused and avoid burnout. 5. Don't pat your back. Pride goes before the fall. Overconfidence can lead to bad choices, so don't be arrogant. Most people can't stand the smugness of success. If you want to get along, do not stand out and pursue your ambitions. Chances are you're not a world-changing genius, anyway. And there you have it, the biggest lie we tell ourselves: that we are inadequate. When I attended his four-day seminar, Tony Robbins asked the audience, "Who thinks they're not good enough?" In this room of 10,000 leaders, 95% raised their hands, including me. Trading tough love for self-love is a direct route to better performance. Dr. Lois Frankel, author of “Who thinks they're not good enough? In this room of 10,000 leaders, 95% raised their hands, including me. Trading tough love for self-love is a direct route to better performance. Dr. Lois Frankel, author of “Who thinks they're not good enough? In this room of 10,000 leaders, 95% raised their hands, including me. Trading tough love for self-love is a direct route to better performance. Dr. Lois Frankel, author ofPretty Girls Don't Get the Office Corner , says, "High self-esteem has a positive correlation not only with success but also with satisfaction." It helps us become “more resilient and positive”. It's time to start loving ourselves.
The Odyssey is fiction, but its lessons are timeless: with effort comes hardship. Staying home will save you heartache, but there is no greatness without pain. This story has been going on for nearly 3,000 years because human experience is synonymous with triumph over hardship. Odysseus suffered, but (spoiler alert) in the end, he wins. Want a remarkable life? Keep challenging yourself.
Related:Why You Need Discipline to Live a Good Life “Your little game does not serve the world. —Marianne Williamson
Michael Pietrzak + posts Michael Pietrzak is a mindset and habit coach for entrepreneurs. He founded So You Want to Write? Inc., which helps writers improve and get published. Michael is passionate about weightlifting, great books, and playing guitar. Michael Pietrzak https://www.moyens.net/author/michael-pietrzak/ How my startup locked me in an African prison (almost) Michael Pietrzak https://www.moyens.net/author/michael-pietrzak/ 5 Business Fundamentals I Learned from Washing Dishes Michael Pietrzak https://www.moyens.net/author/michael-pietrzak/ 4 Ways to Actively Reprogram Your Thoughts Michael Pietrzak https://www.moyens.net/author /michael-pietrzak/ How to Develop an Insatiable Hunger
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