“How much longer will you put off demanding the best for yourself?”
According to Seneca, delaying things is the largest waste of life because it robs us of the present while promising the future. The future is unclear in its whole; act now.
Procrastination is the toughest challenge to overcome in the quest for a better life or profession. We constantly make promises to improve our health, increase our income, and acquire new skills but seldom follow through.
The only thing preventing us from being our greatest selves and fully experiencing life is procrastination. But if you figure out how to do away with it, you’ll be able to move from conception to execution with lightning speed and become unstoppable.
Give Up Your Ego
The majority of people allow their egos to stop them from the beginning. They would rather remain in their comfort zone because they are terrified of appearing foolish. To progress, though, you should be comfortable with being viewed as an idiot and a simpleton, as Epictetus advised.
You should anticipate making “dumb” blunders when establishing a new firm.
Prepare yourself to lose everything when you invest your first N200,000.
Be prepared to not know how to use any of the equipment when you visit the gym for the first time.
Be prepared to seem stupid when you create your first podcast or YouTube video.
It’s all good now. Before you can become an expert, you must first be a beginner. Every expert once was a total novice.
Just remember not to let your ego get in the way of starting. Your ego will persuade you to begin “tomorrow” or “next week” because it is terrified of making a fool of itself. But this is fiction, as we all know. It’s a crafty defence.
Put your ego aside and begin.
Memento Mori
Don’t act as if you will live forever, advised Marcus Aurelius. You are threatened with death. Be virtuous while you are still alive and capable of doing so. Now.”
The Stoics often thought about their own mortality. Remember that you must die is the literal translation of the Latin phrase memento mori.
Prior to having a cancer scare, I always considered it was a dismal practice to reflect on your own death. I initially had to face my own mortality at that point.
Since then, I’ve come to appreciate how erratic life can be. I’m aware that I’ll pass away at some point, but I’m not sure when. Today may be the day. Tomorrow might be the day. It could be in the next 70 years.
“It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.” — Marcus Aurelius
You should live life to the fullest since you don’t know how long you have left. Keep working toward your goals. Don’t delay showing kindness. Don’t put off experiencing life.
Memoria Mori Remember: You must pass away. Instead than depressing you, let this concept to motivate you more than anything else. Let it motivate you to take bold action, spread joy, and enjoy life to the fullest.
Be Strict With Yourself
The standard of your life, the outcomes in your career, and the condition of your health are all under your control.
no other individuals. not the government. not the economy not.
You.
Yes, outside factors do have an impact on your life, career, and health. But in the end, you are in charge. You have the power. The wheel of your life is in your hands.
This means that if you want to improve your life, you must hold yourself to greater standards. How long will you put things off until you demand the best for yourself, as Epictetus put it?
Stop making excuses for yourself. Refuse to tolerate your own indolence. Do not promise to do anything and then fail to follow through. Improve your habits. Maintain greater standards for yourself.
“Be tolerant with others and severe with yourself,” said Marcus Aurelius.
Most people operate in the complete opposite way. The only people they don’t criticize are themselves. However, you must learn to be strict with yourself if you want to advance in your life and profession.
Maintain the greatest standards for yourself while being understanding toward others.
Consider Mistakes As Opportunities To Get Better
Failure and setbacks, according to The Obstacle Is The Way author Ryan Holiday, are necessary for growth.
Every time, you’ll learn something, says Holiday. With each experience, you’ll gain power, insight, and perspective. Every time, a little bit more of the rivalry disappears. Up till only the best version of you is left.
However, we’ve been taught to shun failure and regard errors negatively. This is mainly because of what we learn in school about failure being bad. When you commit mistakes, you receive a terrible mark, which disappoints everyone—teachers, parents, etc. Not the best of times.
The majority of individuals are now risk-averse as a result of this.
They put off achieving their goals and no longer venture outside of their comfort zone since failure fear has been ingrained in our minds since infancy.
A more fruitful perspective on failure is to regard it as a crucial component of development. should view mistakes as the quickest method to improve, obtain useful knowledge, and position yourself for success in the future.
For instance:
- When you’re a child, learning to walk involves hundreds of falls.
- Entrepreneurs that pay close attention to critical consumer feedback create the finest businesses.
- When you as a content creator don’t get any views or clicks on your past work, you start producing better material.
- After losing a crucial game, an athlete gains critical experience.
A gem cannot be polished without friction, and a man cannot be refined without trials, as Seneca once stated. Failure develops resiliency, molds our personalities, and helps us become the best versions of ourselves.
Keep in mind that the one who perseveres, not the most intelligent person, is the one who triumphs. Become adept at recovering from setbacks. Instead than viewing setbacks as something to be avoided at all costs, view them as chances to improve.
This kind of thinking will make you stand out from the crowd.
Be Surround By Great People
The secret is to surround yourself only with positive people that inspire you and make you want to be your best.
Energy from other people spreads easily. You need to be careful who you choose to surround yourself with since this could make or break you.
You’ll naturally become more cheerful, inspired, and ambitious if you surround yourself with like-minded others.
We develop into the people we spend time with. We pick up the habits, outlook, and energy of the people we spend the most time with.
But this also implies that we immediately emulate the negative, bad-habit-having people we spend time with.
It’s possible to catch other people’s opinions and problems. Don’t unintentionally develop unfavourable attitudes through your relationships with others, as this will only serve to undermine your efforts.
It’s crucial to select your social group because of this. Spend time with people who will improve you.
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Eizu, ©Hexavia!
Strategy. Business StartUps and Corporate Restructuring Consulting
T: 08035202891
Uwaoma Eizu is the lead strategist at Hexavia! He is a graduate of Mathematics with two MBAs and over a decade of experience working with startups and big businesses. His core is in building startups and in corporate restructuring. He is also a certified member of the Nigerian Institute of Management, Institute of Strategic Management of Nigeria and the Project Management Institute, USA. By the side, he writes weekly for the BusinessDay newspaper.
