Belief. Hope. Luck. This quote is all about what is in and out of our control. We all have that will inside of us to be better, but what holds us back?
We see it everywhere…the power of hope and the power of our belief. I believe that the power of our thoughts play a large role in how we pave our paths to our future. However, I also watch a lot of others who believe so strongly in the power of their hopes and beliefs that when the shit hits the fan, they feel more than thoroughly disappointed that they didn’t “hope enough.” Hope and belief aren’t enough, we need more than that to be better.
Taking Action:
What we need is action, the “doing,” the “being” that will drive us forward towards what we hope for.
If we sit around in our finest Lululemons eating Ring Dings hoping to lose weight as we watch The Office for the 3rd round on Netflix, I don’t think we’ll get there any quicker, ya feel me?
What it takes to be better is the belief that you can and the action to make it happen.
A line I use a lot in my speaking and with clients is the Nike motto, “Just do it.” Nike isn’t saying, “Maybe do it,” “Do it when you feel like it,” ” Do it someday,” or “Do it eventually.” They are saying to leap now. Just do it! Mark is saying the same thing here. Don’t hope for change, start changing with small steps (or big ones) and simply “be” the change you want to be. “Just be better.”
If you keep drinking you can’t be sober. If you don’t talk to people you won’t find the romantic relationship you desire. If you don’t apply for jobs, your chances are slim of starting a new one. You get the drift…
Counting on Luck & Hope:
Some of us out there may be on the side of the fence that they are all hope without action. There are also people out there who take action and are still hoping for a successful outcome. I don’t want to leave those people out here.
Sure, it may seem like there those out there who hope for something and then get lucky overnight with a viral video, a successful business, or breakthrough moment. Usually, this is not the case. I believe that luck = opportunity + preparation and that preparation is freakin’ hard work.
If you are someone who is taking action, whether small steps or the big ones, don’t let anyone discount that hard work!
I remember plenty of times when people in my life would say “Wow, you are so lucky to be (insert whatever): successful!” and I would remind them, “It wasn’t luck at all. I worked really hard to get here.”
If you take even a small step forward to be better, reach a goal, etc. do not let anyone tell you how lucky you are when you get to where you want to be! Those small steps are filled with hope and action and cannot be discounted.
If you want to stop drinking for a year and you are 2 days sober, you keep being better every day by not drinking and you will get to that year mark!
If you are starting a business and just applied for your LLC, you keep that belief alive and remind yourself you are getting closer to your dream business every day!
So what have you been hoping to do that hasn’t made much progress?
Whatever that first step is, take it. Be like the goldfish in the graphic above and make that leap to “be better” into the bigger bowl!
All the Life Designers here are cheering you on! It’s time to be better by taking action. What can be is out there waiting for you…
You got this!
-Amy xo
If you are interested in Mark Manson’s books, here are the two I recommend:
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