Success will mean something different for each of us, but you’ll never figure out what it means if you give into complacency.
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If you’ve dealt with the death of a loved one, you’ve experienced a vivid lesson in the brevity of life. In our minds we know life is short, but too often we don’t live life as if it were. “Life is short” has become a cliché.
You don’t get complacent, and take action on the big dreams and goals you have in your heart.
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The problem is that life is short, and before you know it, it will pass us by. Time is precious and one of the only things we can never get back. A successful life means using the time we have on this earth to the fullest.
“Success” means you don’t settle. You don’t get complacent, and take action on the big dreams and goals you have in your heart. At the end of our lives, we’re not going to remember all the stuff we had, we’ll remember any amazing experiences.
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Here are four ways guys can avoid giving into complacency and embrace the incredible life we all have the ability to live.
1. Don’t Make Excuses
Making big changes in life is hard work. It takes longer than we feel it should, and rarely is it a smooth road to success. When we hit those bumps in the road, we’re tempted to give in or give up.
It’s easier to give up and make excuses as to why. There are a million “good” reasons as to why we’re not moving forward in our lives. Excuses are the first sign of complacency. We should never settle in life, there’s too much to do and see.
When you think about where you are versus where you want to be, examine why you haven’t made the kind of progress you’ve wanted to make. See if you’ve started making excuses. The first step in dealing with a problem is admitting you have one.
2. Set Impossible Goals
If we hit every one of our goals each year, we didn’t set them high enough. We should set goals for ourselves that seem impossible to accomplish. We should always have something bigger and better that we’re trying to achieve.
We have to dream bigger and step outside of our comfort zone. This doesn’t mean you’re skydiving every weekend, but it does mean you’re challenging what you feel you can accomplish. Set the bar high, and when you hit it, step on a chair and set it even higher.
3. Don’t Justify Any Success
We should never feel like we’ve “arrived” in life. There should always be a new goal to hit or a taller mountain to climb. Just because we have experienced some success, doesn’t mean we can use it as an excuse to stop chasing bigger goals.
We should never justify inaction in our lives. We should never get complacent with where we are and the success we’ve experienced. Our goal should be to do things most people only dream of.
Justifying is another form of making excuses. Excuses are the enemy of success. This will be a continuous journey to improve where we are in life. It should never get stagnant. This doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate the wins because you should. It means you celebrate and keep going.
4. Get Honest with Yourself and Others
To achieve success in our life, we have to get honest with ourselves. We have to admit where we are in relation to where we want to be. Complacency comes when we aren’t honest about our situation.
Get honest with yourself. Don’t justify success or any inaction.
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It also means getting honest with others. Today, we have the ability to join mastermind groups and make our goals public. Too often, we only show people the rosy side of our lives. We have to be honest and show them the full picture so they can best help us.
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Life is short. I’m sure each of us can look back and remember younger times that seemed like they just happened. A successful life means not dying with regret in your heart.
It’s hard, and it will take time, but the one thing I hope you take away from this article is that it is possible. All of your big goals and dreams can and should be your reality.
Get honest with yourself. Don’t justify success or any inaction. Never get complacent because the next level seems impossible. Redefine “possible” in your mind and then prove it by taking action.
Are you living the kind of life you want to live?
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Photo: Flickr/ Q Skulls
True enough. I lost my wife three years ago when she was 51. I’ve come on a long way since and made a lot of progress from where I was to where I am. I recognise a lot in this article. Problem Ive got now is motivation to keep on pushing on and setting new goals and refining what I’ve achieved so far, particularly as a songwriter and musician. I dont like procrastinating and letting a day go to waste without having done something or achieved something. I have the time, the tools, the money to achieve… but deep inside,… Read more »
Steve, I wrote this today (what you’re talking about) on my Facebook page. Let me know if it helps at all: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kimanzi-Constable/180997105343665. Thanks so much for your comment.