A young man once approached Socrates and asked the philosopher, “How could you acquire so much wisdom and knowledge?” “Follow me,” Socrates said in response, as he led the young man down to the sea. The young man followed as Socrates began wading through the water, first at the ankle, then at the knee, then at the waist, and finally up to the shoulder height. Then rather abruptly, Socrates grabbed the young man. He dunked him into the water. The young man struggled desperately just before Socrates pulled him up out of the water, right before he blacked out. Infuriated, the young man screamed, “What are you doing? Are you trying to kill me?” Calmly, Socrates responded, “Absolutely not. If that was my intention, I would not have pulled you up. I’d have let you drown.” “Then why did you do that?” the young man gasped. “When you want wisdom and insight as badly as desire of the breath of the air, then you shall have it,” Socrates replied, while looking the man in the eyes. Then he turned to the shore and he walked away.
Along the same lines of the power of desire, said the late, great Napoleon Hill, desire is a starting point of all achievement. Not a hope, not a wish, but a keen, pulsating desire, which transcends everything. If you want something bad enough, you’ll make it happen. However, if you don’t want something that much, even the best strategies, they won’t serve you well.
Unfortunately, most people are incorrectly seeking strategies of how to get success or other things. In this way, they’re putting the cart before the horse. The right strategy will show you itself when you’re clear on what you want. How do you know what you want? Most people are waiting for an epiphany. They’re waiting for someone or something outside of them to rattle or to shake them awake. They just want a quick fix. Hence, the focus on strategy and not on vision and values.
If you’re waiting for something to wake you up so you finally have passion, motivation, or desire to put the whole soul into life, then you’ll be waiting for a long time. Look, rather than waiting, your only chance at fully living is to proactively do something yourself. When was the last time you did a workout where you honestly put 100% everything into it?
The beauty of training with an expert trainer at Max Strength Fitness is we guide you every step of the way, but we can’t make you give 100%. That’s up to you. The next time you’re working out, ask yourself, “Did I truly give everything I had into this workout? Did I leave everything out, nothing to chance? Did I give it a hundred percent? Did I honestly empty my tank of energy and strength?” Because that’s where the results come from.
Then ask yourself, when was the last time that you really tried? I mean, really tried at anything? Most people go through life, half-hearted, half-thought out efforts, not giving their most. They’re just kind of waiting through time. Hopefully not you, otherwise you wouldn’t be watching this.
Paul Arden, the famed designer and author, once said, “Don’t look for the next opportunity. The one you have in hand is the opportunity.” He also said, “Too many people spend too much time trying to perfect something before they actually do it. Instead of waiting on perfection, run with what you’ve got and then fix it along the way. After all, as they say, perfection is the enemy of done.”
Interestingly, research in psychology over the past few years has made a shift. It was assumed for decades that our mind could alter our physical state, but not the other way around. However, research is now showing that your body, even your posture, directly influences your mind and your emotions. You change from the inside out, yes, but also from the outside in. You can leverage that you have to your benefit.
Look, if you want more motivation, do something about it. Don’t wait for somebody else to do it for you. Put your heart into something 100%. not the next thing, but the thing right in front of you. Not in tomorrow’s workout, but into today’s workout. Not into tomorrow’s work, but into today’s work. Not into tomorrow’s people, but into today’s people. As Thomas Munson said, “There’s no tomorrow to remember if we don’t do something today.”
Nothing feels better than trying your best. Absolutely nothing. There’s no next opportunity, only the one right in front of you. Nothing can stop you once you decide what you want, but you have to decide. Again, to quote Napoleon Hill, “There is one quality which one must possess to win. It’s that definiteness of purpose, the knowledge of what one wants, and the burning desire to possess it.” What do you want? What do you desire? Whatever it is, make that decision and give 100% and go get it.