If you want to do anything meaningful in life, you always hear experts say it's crucial to be a "self-starter" or a person who's "motivated" to be successful?
Maybe you feel like that's for a special kind of person. What if you think there's no way that can be you?
It doesn't mean you have nothing in the world to strive for or go after. You may have big dreams.
You're just not doing what it takes to move forward.
I bet you've read or heard inspirational teachers saying, define what real success looks like to you. Find your reason "why," to make it important enough. And that will motivate you to pursue your goals.
This is good advice, but what if you still have trouble moving forward toward what you consider success?
Take on "The Parenting Mindset."
Maybe you're not even a parent. But one thing is true—you must take care of yourself.
No one else is going to, not really.
Your life is totally, and without a doubt, all your responsibility.
I am a parent, and one thing I felt when my daughter was born was a massive sense of responsibility. Babies are helpless. Even though I knew this intellectually, the fact that she couldn't do anything for herself hit me like a ton of bricks.
If my wife and I didn't feed, clothe, and change her diapers regularly, she wouldn't survive.
You are not helpless, however. You can make changes and live the life you choose. No matter what you've been through.
The hardest part of parenting—the part that created the mindset below—is that you must do all of these things to raise your child, and no one cares if you're tired.
It doesn't matter if you're sick or depressed. Your baby needs food. Your child needs your support and care.
Think of your life this way.
The parenting mindset involves treating your goals like a child that needs constant care, only you can give, no matter what.
That's the hard part about life, right? Having to take care of business and move forward even when you're feeling down or "life" is slapping you in the face with a wet towel.
It can be easy to let all your motivation get sucked out of you.
I know there are those of us who have more challenges to overcome than others, but it could always be worse.
Actually, I would suggest thinking about all the ways it could be worse, so you understand how good you have it.
Gratitude. It's the perfect reset. Start there, and then keep moving forward.
Sometimes, we're tired and need to rest. That's fine. Take time to recharge, but decide for how long.
Decide to take a break for a few hours—a day, a weekend. Then, get off your buttocks and get back to work.
If you are a parent. Don't use your child as an excuse not to pursue your goals. Look at them as your motivation to succeed.
I know it's challenging, especially in the first year of raising your child, to make time for yourself, but carve out what you can, when you can.
Think about it, which would you instead tell your kids when they grow older, "Raising you was too hard, so I just gave up on my dreams." Or, "Raising you was the challenge that helped make me stronger. You inspired me every day to pursue my dreams to make you proud."
I remember feeling noxious every time I had to wake up multiple times a night to feed or change my daughter's diapers. It was tough, but I got used to it.
Hard? Yes. For the best reason? Raising my offspring. Heck, Yeah!
I discovered I'm capable of so much more. If I can survive on very little sleep and still go to work and perform at a professional level, I can do more in my life than I previously thought.
Not to mention, using what very little free time I had in the most efficient way possible helped me start my Fried Chicken and Sushi webcomic and update it twice a week consistently.
I found the magic in how productive you become when you limit the amount of time you have to spend on something.
Try it. Whether you're a parent or not, behave like one.
Take full responsibility for your success. Be grateful for what you have.
No one will help you the way that you can.
Make up your mind that you can do much more than you think you can each day.
Use your limitations to motivate you.
See how much you can do in a short period. Take what you feel is lacking in your life and reframe how you think about it. Can you turn it into something that can light a fire in you to push harder towards your goals?
I think you can.
No.
I know you can.
Now, get out there and make things happen. Before I put you in time-out.
