What obstacle—or perhaps a combination of obstacles—do you face when trying to become a better version of yourself?
With the advent of the internet and now artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT, the entirety of human knowledge is literally at our fingertips. In theory, we have everything we need to improve ourselves. Yet, despite the abundance of information and the explosion of subject-matter experts and “thought leaders” in every imaginable field, we as a society are still far from perfecting ourselves.
Why is that?
One possibility is that people simply don’t know what they don’t know. Many remain blind to their own shortcomings. I know people who—even after being shown what they need to do—refuse to take action. Often, this could come from a limiting mindset for example.
Another reason may be a lack of courage. Real change requires discomfort. The benefits of transformation are rarely immediate, while the cost—pain, effort, and discipline needed to make the change – is felt right away.
Think about one area you want to improve in your life. It doesn’t have to be work-related:
Do you want to:
- Sleep better?
- Get in shape and not feel tired all the time?
- Learn to play your favorite sport (golf for example) so the game is actually fun?
- Learn a new language?
- Make new friends or just have a better outlook on life?
Whatever your goal, it takes the virtue of courage to change. It takes inner strength to develop better habits—and keep them—without falling back into the comfort of old routines.
For many people, the pattern goes like this:
They think about changing (or try half-heartedly), then give in to old temptations and eventually give up.
It’s exciting to talk about change. But it’s a completely different story when it comes to the discipline required to actually make it happen.
As my virtual mentor Jim Rohn once said:
“If you really want to do something, you will find a way. If you don’t, you will find an excuse.”
