When you see someone else achieve their goal and you hear their story, it sometimes (not always) seems like they did it effortlessly. Because you don’t see the long hours of practice the swimmer put in the pool so that she stood in first place on the Olympic podium. You don’t see the writer getting up early, staying up late, or writing on their lunch break to write the book that goes on to hit all the bestseller lists. What we don’t see is that they’ve perfected the art of not giving up. [Read more…] about The Art of Not Giving Up
Good or bad, I’ve never been one to follow the crowd. And at different times throughout my life, that has earned me a reputation as a rebel, rulebreaker, or loner. Some just called me stubborn. But when it comes to success (however you define it) and actually getting done the things you set out to do, following the crowd can potentially hold us back. We have to be able to recognize when it’s time to up the ante.
Routines are great. It’s because of a great morning routine, modified slightly over the years due to changing day jobs, that I’ve managed to write as much as I have. But even when a routine is good, you can get stuck in a rut. And you might not even realize it. Why? Because you haven’t been able to leave your baggage behind.
To become relentless means a lot of different things. I’m once again going to refer to Tim Grover’s book, Relentless: From Good to Great to Unstoppable. In it, he asks this question: “What would it feel like to just let go of all the external pressure and expectations and just be yourself?1