10 Truths That Will Change Your Perspective
I’ll start by saying, this is not a ‘how to’ guide for life planning or fulfilled living. I’m not sure I’d even read it myself if it claimed to be; why because life is subjective. No one is walking in your shoes but you. What these ‘10 truths’ are though, are reminders, quick check ins that provide thought provoking stopping points for you to interpret your own life direction, potentiality and current path. A way for you to align with your thoughts, self-doubts, fears and quite simply, the reality that life is what you think it to be. We all spend a lot of time worrying, measuring and comparing ourselves to others, like there’s some imaginary benchmark (that we set by the way) that determines our happiness, success and perception of self. For this reason alone, we need perspective checks that remind us of the possibility of change and the responsibility we hold within ourselves, to own our happiness, our successes and our failures. No matter what you’re working on or going through, each of these ‘truths’ will help you combat the doubts and fears associated with moving forward. We have enough things to worry about in life; don’t be the reason you failed, be the reason you prevailed.
No one really knows what they’re doing.
There is no “how to” guide on life. No secret to happiness, love, success and everything in between that somehow you didn’t get. We were all born to this world, given a variety of life experiences and made decisions along the way that give us the person we are today. Fact is whatever we want in life, whatever we think we are, whatever direction we go in, it’s 100% new and 100% you. There is no one that has lived it before because there is only one you. We are all paving our own paths so being discouraged out of fear of not knowing is creating boundaries and limits for your preconceived idea of success. So embrace your life, go confidently into the unknown and build the person you will become.
You can design the life you want.
It is up to you. What are you doing to make it a reality? If you are willing to accept the challenges of growth, the relationships you may lose and changes you’ll need to make to get there, then saying yes to the life you want can begin. There’s a saying out there that keeps it simple, “If the plan doesn’t work, change the plan but never the goal.” Needless to say I fell in love with the truth of that statement and use it as a guide every time I start to feel I’m off track. Life is about failing forward and learning from your missteps as you fine tune the life you want. You have to take ownership in all aspects of your life, from the successes to the failures, in order to build the life you want.
You’re never truly stuck in any situation.
There are many situations in life that you feel stuck in and that you want to rely on someone else to get you out of. Fact is, you are in that situation because of a series of decisions that you made to get there. There’s only one way out, stop accepting the situation and change it. Think of all the possibilities in both directions, positive and negative that can and will happen. Notice I only said 2 directions, because maintaining isn’t a direction. Indecision is a decision to accept. Just remember time heals everything.
Your past does not determine your future.
The saying that we are all victims of our upbringing is slightly skewed. Yes we all have been through shit in our lives that influence our behaviors and shape our understanding of things but that doesn’t have to determine our future. We’re not all destined to live the lives we’ve been exposed to. If that were the case you wouldn’t hear stories of a first child going to college in a family or some kid with humble beginnings giving back to their community. It may not have been easy or come naturally to build your future if you didn’t have a paved road to walk but everyone can be the first one to pave it. Change is up to you.
There is no one definition for success.
Success is solely determined by the individual. What your life purpose is and your chosen path will determine that metric. Whether it’s fame and fortune, making a difference in a local or world community, recognition within your industry or simply having a healthy/happy family, you define that. Popular culture may have its own definition, the kush job, the fancy house, the beautiful family, the notoriety, the social envy but none of that will make you happy if its success defined by someone else. It has to be what you want and support your purpose.
Nothing great ever comes out of your comfort zone.
Cliche I know but seriously it’s the honest truth. Life is all about taking risks, hopefully calculated ones but either way doing something you’re not 100% sure about is the only way you’ll know. Again the idea of maintaining isn’t an option for those of us that have that burning curiosity which is I’m assuming why you’re here, reading this article. If you don’t know the answer that’s fine, find it. If you’re not sure what the outcome will be, as no one is dying as a result you’ll figure it out. Just don’t let discomfort get in the way of you being the best you possible. That comes through life experience, failure, discovery of new opportunities and learning new things.
Every struggle is a new opportunity for growth.
Behind every disappointment is an opportunity for growth. Personal, career, relationships, etc. we all experience struggles, it’s how we handle them that makes us a better person. Depending on the level of struggle, allow time for grief or making life adjustments, but come back to your ‘why’ your ‘purpose’ and apply the knowledge from that struggle to take one step closer to the goal.
Taking time for yourself is not selfish. It is necessary.
Life is about people. Connecting with and building relationships with people. But what about you? How are you building a relationship with yourself, your desires, your life. You only have one, what are you doing with it? What people are supporting your life goals and who aren’t? What activities are you involved in that support or hinder your growth? Recognizing this early on will help you shape your purpose and help make those hard decisions a little easier when you realize they don’t fit your bigger picture. Take time to listen to you! Read, travel, explore and reflect on what you are or aren’t doing to have your dreams realized.
Every single person has insecurities. It’s how we live with them that makes the difference.
Everyone has something they don’t love about themselves. Something that has the potential to hold them back because internally they struggle with seeing past often something only they see. What are we doing to live with those insecurities and how can we soldier past them? Often those insecurities are what makes us relatable, authentic and approachable. After all, we're just a bunch of humans trying to figure this ‘thing called life’ out, right?
If you’re scared to fail, you’re scared to succeed.
Fact: no one likes failure. No one likes to feel they spent a shit ton of time working on something or investing money in something that falls flat BUT bouncing back is what defines a person’s character. The fact is it happened, acknowledge it, take what you can from the experience and either try again or chalk it up. Whatever you do, don’t dwell on it. You can’t change it, it already happened. All you can do is grow from it, be pissed temporarily but dive into something new. The longer you wait to get started again the harder it is to believe you can. Each new venture has a 50/50 success to failure ratio, sometimes it takes a few no go’s to get one resounding yes that aligns with your purpose.
Try to remind yourself of this short list of ‘truths,’ no matter how basic some may seem. Of course, there are many more that can be added to this, but keeping things simple at the start is the best way to ensure you’ll actually start. I look at this every time I start to think of excuses for why I shouldn’t do something. It helps me remember my purpose, my goal and gives me an opportunity to see past my doubts and align with my potential. Be open to the possibilities and what if’s of life and take ownership of your outcomes. You can design your own life, you just need to use the tools you have to build the one you want.
