In order to make things better, you have to demand better things of yourself. In order to demand better things of yourself, you have to believe that you’re actually better than your current patterns of behavior. You need to be able to say “I am not my story. I am that which authors my story.”
Author: T.K. Coleman
TK Coleman is the Education Director for Praxis. He has coached dozens of young people and top performers from all stages of life. He’s the author of hundreds of articles and is a frequent speaker on education, entrepreneurship, freedom, personal growth, and creativity. TK is a relentless learner, has been involved in numerous startups, and has professional experience ranging from the entertainment to financial services industries and academia. Above all else, TK is on a mission to help people embrace their own power and expand their own possibilities.
Question Yourself First
Perhaps it’s useful to ask yourself the following question before posing any questions to someone else: Am I asking for an answer or am I asking for an argument?
Maybe Your Manifestation Has Already Arrived
You can’t manifest an awesome life through the power of positive thinking alone. At some point, you have to act on your ideas and inspirations if you want to alter your life. There’s no such thing as an opportunity that can’t be undermined by a lack of appropriate action.
Don’t Forget to Breathe
Running gets you where you want to go. Resting reinforces where, how, and why you’re running. Without the grounding that rest provides, you’d eventually run yourself into the ground.
Selling Versus Giving: Both Are Fine As Long As You Know Which One You’re Doing
If you’re selling, that means you’re expecting something in return. There’s nothing wrong with selling, but things will get ugly real fast if you’re not honest with yourself and others about what you’re doing. If you’re selling, don’t call it giving. Name your price and ask for it. Everyone wins that way. No one gets hurt.
Commitment Isn’t the Starting Point
Before you try to figure out what you love, take some time to follow up on what you like. Instead of seeking a big epiphany about what you want to do for your entire life, make a small effort to explore a few things that seem interesting to you right now. Commitment isn’t the starting point for creating your life. Curiosity is.
Starting Small is the Opposite of Staying Small
The thing about courage is that it increases with competence. It’s like the scene from Man on Fire where Creasy tells Lupita “There’s no such thing as tough. There’s trained or untrained.” By starting small, you gradually build the confidence to go big.
Make Waves
If you love running, for instance, and you’re struggling to get back into a steady routine, don’t make it an all or nothing enterprise by pressuring yourself to run five miles right out of the gate.
Your Feelings Are Not the Enemy
Feelings are not demons to be exorcised. They’re muses to be channeled. When it comes to so-called “negative” feelings, I prefer the aikido method: Redirect the energy instead of resisting it.
Divided We Stand
Most of the people who spend their time talking about the plight of division are the “political losers.” That is, the ones who feel as if the division leaves them at the mercy of an unfriendly upper hand. When they complain about division, what they’re really upset about is being on the losing side of a division that already existed long before they were angry about it.