Brutal but worth it
As humans we have much in common but a lot of differences also; our lives take different paths for varying reasons like socio-economic, location, job status, intelligence, determination, laziness and more, and then there's happenstance, governmental and other such factors outside of our general control. Our individual journeys are rarely the same, similar maybe, but also as different as we are numerous. There is one constant though...we all have life, a life more to the point, in that regard we're the same.
Life can be so gloriously enjoyable, happy and meaningful but it can also be brutal and it's that aspect I'm commenting on today, the brutal aspects of life we're all subject to at one point or another and have to navigate.
I'm going to list some things that I feel we all need to accept, do or not do and at the end I'll ask if there's any you'd like to add to the list in the comments.
It's brutal - deal with it
- Life isn't fair - Accept it and control the controllable things rather than complaining about why things aren't going your way. Being entitled by nature entitles you to nothing.
- Life balance is not the key - Living with energy and meaning is, having passion and personality, applying effort and ownership and making time count is the key that opens life's doors.
- Success and failure are temporary things - Stay humble, focused and disciplined. We learn more from failing than succeeding so fail more and accept that if you do you'll succeed more.
- Learn to say "no" and get good at it - It's a form of protection and will help you focus. Saying no to people and things when appropriate will buy back your time, thoughts and attitudes...your life too.
- Genuine freedom comes from owning your available time - It doesn't come from owning your income. Focusing on money doesn't mean it'll come and neither does worshiping the money you have bring a meaningful life. Time is what's valuable.
- Loyalty can't be forced or bought - Be loyal and stay loyal to yourself, values and sense of honour above all but show it to those who have earned it as well...and remove it from those who don't deserve it.
- Don't fear difficulty and what may seem insurmountable - Just take a step, then another and another. The easiest way to get through things is to keep going and the easiest way to achieve something is to keep working towards it.
- Development and growth can feel uncomfortable - Seek it and lean forward into it regardless. Doing nothing will achieve nothing, seek to continually grow and learn and you will do so.
- No one owes you anything, not even a chance or a shot - Get out there and earn it. Waiting for someone to make your life better is a fools errand, lazy and a waste of time; you have the power to improve your life, so go and do it.
- Accept you don't know it all and that you're a beginner - This is where development begins. Presenting as the smartest person in the room or being right all the time is inhibiting and limiting, you don't know it all, so go and learn something.
- The young want wealth but it'll not often come - Find value in your moments instead. If you don't value time you will waste it and once gone it doesn't come back...it's the most valuable thing we have.
- Your reputation is everything, priceless - It's destroyed easily so protect it. People will always perceive what they wish to, only you truly know you so be the person you feel proud of, be your best version as often as possible.
- Busy-work is an enemy - Being busy isn't progress, take ownership, be productive, strategic and efficient. Pretending to progress and develop isn't progression or development. Sometimes it feels like we are on the right track but get caught doing busy work. Don't.
- Stop complaining and comparing - It's you versus you...no one else. No one cares about you, so you better start doing it for yourself, your development and your life.
- Not everyone wants you to succeed or grow - Do it anyway, don't whine about it. People will always try and pull others down or stay focused on themselves so it's best that you own yourself and make things happen, others won't do it for you.
- Change is pivotal - Don't fear change, seek and embrace it; through change comes a change of results. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing but expecting different results. Change is good.
- You are responsible - Happiness, progression, relationships, success, failure, meaningfulness...It's all on you. Shifting blame for what goes wrong or expecting others to do things for you is not going to produce your best life.
- Better results come from small things done often - Be persistent, consistent, hard working, responsible and disciplined. Little things done often build momentum and become bigger things, momentous things. Do so many small things, the right small things, that they touch at the sides and begin to resemble one big thing. Your ideal life.
- Your critics will talk a lot and loudly but they risk little - Take risks, beyond fear is where the road to amazing things begins. Fear should motivate not inhibit, embrace and use it to take the first steps to the greatness that your life could and should be.
- Be still - It's through stillness that creativity buds and blossoms, stress won't grow a bountiful crop. Still your mind, remove obstructions and distractions and listen to yourself, in there is your masterpiece if you dare to paint it.
- It's not up to others - Ownership, responsibility, discipline and effort will build faster than waiting for others to build on your behalf. Your life is your own, take it by the scruff of the neck and own it.
- True self-reflection and honesty is difficult - Do it well and you'll progress, do it not and you'll regress. Understanding you, what you want and why, who you are and are not will give you a path forward.
Life comes easy, we don't even remember the moment is begins, and can be brutally difficult as it goes, but with some effort life can be better, more enjoyable or meaningful. Some will do what's required, others will maintain their entitled ways...all will reach the end and die. It's what happens in the middle which matters though right? What do you think? Comment below if you like.
Design and create your ideal life, tomorrow isn't promised - galenkp
[Original and AI free]
Image(s) in this post are my own
Life really can be brutal. And yeah.. It's who we are and who and how we choose to be particularly in the face of the brutal... That makes the biggest difference. It seems to me that those are the moments in life when we have the greatest opportunities to grow and become more powerful. For me I've learned that "finding joy in the little things," is extremely profound. I mean really all of the littlest tiniest things. I've made a point of making what I call a treasure chest of little things. So I magnify the bitiest moments of pleasure or observed beauty... Really like an iridescent dust motes, isn't that a miracle? And in the darkest, most hideous and brutal moments then I might catch sight of how an insect wing caught in a cobweb sparkles... And look closer and see the intricate veining... And where is that misery? Where did it go? It's a good habit for me, it serves me well. Everything is transitory... I especially love what you wrote about failure. This is something I'm trying to give to my students...I think it's working too... Have fun at failure because it's the best way to learn. They're learning a second language and by immersion plus classes. They also all want to be part of the community... Not just speak enough to get by, which makes me very happy... And so, we're teaching them to go and speak horribly with strangers. Tell them you're learning, (they'll know haha) ask them for patience. And then half the world becomes your teachers and your tutors. And the people around you will feel good and happy also, respected, because you are joining with effort to understand them and be understood. It really is a greatness, to risk seeming foolish. And it's a greatness that can make us greater! Have a beautiful day, friend.
Quite right, thanks for taking the time to comment and adding to the topic.
🤗
Con placer
All the points you mentioned are genuine and there is a lot of truth in them. I really liked the last one. It is up to us to make what lies ahead worthwhile and to enjoy the journey.
As I was reading your post, I thought of another point that I sometimes think about: there will always be people who are better and worse than you, so the key is not to compare yourself to others, but also to surround yourself with the best people in order to learn and move up the ladder of life.
It's an excellent list of points!
The right influences, people and otherwise, are very important.
Exactly, and finding the right influences is important, ones that help you achieve better results.
These are all facts we need to become comfortable with to live the best way. My take on the 17th submission is that while we should hold the mindset that we are responsible for how our life goes, if we try everything to make something work and it doesn't, we should not beat ourselves up, because while we assume that we have 100% responsibility over everything happening in our lives, there are still factors beyond our control. Sometimes in life, our best efforts may not be enough. But it's better to fail after trying than to fail because you didn't try at all or enough.
Yep, seems like sound reasoning.
Comparing, I think a lot falls into that, it's easy to go for it when things don't go well to you... Yet comparing won't change anything
Loyalty, it's an other good point, doesn't matter what can be offered or paid, but loyalty can't be bought
I would also add that sooner or later life will always throw you some shit, no one can avoid that, it's up to you to getting cleaned ASAP and go ahead
Yep, like point one...life isn't always fair.
Be still think, listen, hear, most poignant sharpening sensitivities to self, bittersweet time with utterance in failure or success.
Indeed, so much value comes from this.
Never sleep properly at night if last half hour not spent under the stars, quiet introspection.
This reminds me of a motivational speech by Eric Thomas called "choose your hard."
A couple of my favorite lines are:
Yeah, similar, although I've not heard that speech. Seems to be the same sorry of thing by the snippets you mention though.
Many great points. A little long for motivation posters, but quotes to put on a wall, at least.
"Be still" - that's my favorite I think. It's the ultimate sign of control. Being still when everything is in high speed, taking a step back, reflecting, giving the mind time to process. Being able to do that, against the brutal stream of events and short-lived emotions, against everyone else who's running while juggling, that's true power. Not giving into the siren song of the mainstream.
And yes, I always preach and try to live a balance. There are some ideals that I'd love to get closer to, which don't require a balance - like having pure intentions in good deeds, without expecting anything in return, not even from the universe. I don't need a balance there, it's something within me that does not affect others in any way, nor can it bring harm to me (it's still conscious giving, not just throwing favors at anyone who asks for it).
Long? Motivation posters. I remember them, there used to be around in the 1980's pinned on the wall where everyone ignored them.
The never version are those shallow motivation phrases that people in their lifetime crises over a spoiled avocado post on "social" media.
The never version are those shallow motivation phrases that people in their lifetime crises over a spoiled avocado post on "social" media. Basically boiling down very valid thoughts to a point that they're obviously true, but not really useful. A mere display of fake depth.
That's why your phrases are too long for those motivational stuff. They do preserve some depth. Not a complete essay, but enough to make sense of them. Too much for people used to headlines and platitudes.
Yeah, social media, not something I'm into, but the rest of the world seem addicted.
Not only seem, they are. And it's getting worse by the day. I use them for business and keep in touch with some friends, but I hope that I will be able to persuade most of them to join HIVE instead :-D
Yeah, it's really quite an issue I think, maybe my age I guess, but I see so much wrong. As your friends onboard to Hive let me know who they are, I'll check them out.
I will, but I'll train them first as I was trained for this... I'm mainly talking about the freedom & responsibility part of Hive, and try to avoid the economic thing. That way, I hope to get those who'll take it as I - focus on expressing themselves and engage in the community with the pleasant byproduct of a little extra income (which they then can spend in my bakery, and later hopefully other spots in town). I have big plans...
Owning your own time is probably the biggest one for me. A very nice list you have here.
Time is pretty important.
Learning to say No prevents us from taking on too much responsibility and stress. When I started my first job, I think it was due to lack of knowledge or the excitement of working and earning money for my expenses, I took on many commitments that in most cases were outside of my work area. This caused me a lot of stress and on several occasions I was unable to fulfill my duties or the additional commitments I made. At that point, I understood the importance of saying No and setting priorities.
Sometimes at work it's difficult to say no because we're paid to be there and do a job function. Saying no to friends and family can be very beneficial though as blindly saying yes (usually out of a feeling of obligation) can be draining on time and other things. Boundaries are important for every individual to learn.
Setting limits is essential to avoid making commitments out of obligation.
That's right and with family and friends it can get out of hand, people feel obligated I guess, and suffer personally for it at times.
Yes, and there's also the other side: many people get upset when they're told no to a request or favor, and that's when they give in out of obligation.
Yep that's right too. I guess a person needs to determine whether to prioritise themselves and when to prioritise others, a mix of each is required depending on circumstances.
That's right, each person sets the limits and priorities
All great points and reads like a manual for a life lived well. I value my time more than anything else. Don't toss it around like an endless resource. Once spent, it can never be replaced.
Time is so precious but most waste it so readily. And...yeah, I lived pretty well - still doing so.
Best news I've heard all day!
One must live, and live well. One is responsible for that too, no one else will make it happen. I think you'll agree.
I certainly do agree...life wouldn't be near as enjoyable if living say...in an iron lung, or max security prison, or a nunnery 😂
Prison, nope.
Iron lung, nope.
Nunnery,
nopeI've heard a thing or two about nuns...hmm.🤣
Hey girl....whatcha got under the hood?
or
Hey sistah...whatcha got under that habit?
You mess with a nun you might get the paddle lol
All that praying they do...I wonder if they ever want to balance all that piety out with a dance with the devil. I mean, I'm not the devil, but can be devilish.
True talk
Shit comment.
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