One Hard Reality You Have to Accept to Be Happier and More Successful

We all want things in life. We all have dreams and desires.

And we all have the potential to get more of what we want.

However, most of us want the reward without the risk. The shine without the grind. The free lunch.
But you can’t have a destination without a journey. And a journey always has costs – at the very least, you have to invest your time and energy into it every step of the way.

The hard reality is this: If you want the benefits of something in life, you have to also want the costs.

So, instead of thinking about what you want right now, first ask yourself:

“What am I willing to give up to get it?”

Or, for those inevitably hard days ahead:

“What is worth suffering for?”

Seriously, think about it…

If you want the fit body, you have to also want the sore muscles, the sweat, the early mornings in the gym, and the healthy meals. If you want the successful business, you have to also want the late nights, the risky business deals and decisions, and the possibility of failing twenty times to learn what you need to know to succeed. If you find yourself wanting something day in and day out, year after year, yet nothing ever happens and you never come any closer to it, then maybe what you actually want is just a fantasy, or a false promise. Maybe you don’t actually want it at all, because you’re not willing to suffer though the work it’s going to take to achieve it.

But if you do decide that you want it, then take a long, hard look at your daily rituals and activities, and ask yourself another question:

“Based on my daily rituals and actions, where can I expect to be in a year from now?”

This question can be helpful because if you have an idea about what you want the next chapter of your life to look like, you have to consistently DO things that support this idea. An idea, after all, isn’t going to do anything for you until you do something productive with it. In fact, as long as that great idea is just sitting around in your head it’s doing far more harm than good. Your subconscious mind knows you’re procrastinating on something that’s important to you. The required work that you keep postponing causes stress, anxiety, fear, and usually more procrastination – a vicious cycle that continues to worsen until you interrupt it with positive ACTION.

But, as I’m sure you’re aware, that’s sometimes much easier said than done.

Thinking productively and setting yourself up with a system for taking consistent, positive action takes guidance and practice.