In life we have to decide how much of life we really want. If you want more in life, that means you have to give up more of your life to get more. There are exceptions to the rule but for the majority of us, we need to decide what is enough. If you always want bigger and better things, there will always be bigger and better things to get but that requires more money and time. Then where are you going to get that money and time from? 

Don't let other people's expectations tell you what you need in your life. You have to ask yourself, how much is enough. Remember when you win the rat race, in the end you're still a rat. So beware of your choices and what you're giving up to get those choices. Are you working in a job that you hate or working many hours but the trade off is losing time with your family? Time with you kids and spouse is something you can never get back again when it's over. So choose wise with the things you choose to pursue.

Journal Prompts

1. How will you know when you’re going after too many things?
2. How can you ensure that enough is sufficient and not too little?

A lot of success comes down to getting the easy stuff right like showing up for a meeting on time, having proper hygiene, being nice, having a great attitude, and having the correct grammar in your emails. This takes effort and time, but if you can't get the easy stuff done in front of someone, what makes you think that the other person will think you will get the hard stuff done right. 

People will notice if you get the easy stuff done because not a lot of other people get the easy stuff done right. But you will get the easy stuff done because you have high standards for yourself and take pride in setting the example for others. You're making the world a better place with your action and eventually it will come back to you. 

Journal Prompts

1. What will happen to your life if you don’t get the easy stuff right?
2. What are some of the easy things that you need to do right? How would this set you apart from others?

We live in a competitive society and it shows. Back 30-40 years ago, if you had a college degree there was a high likelihood that you could get a really good job and be fine for the rest of your life. Now, a bachelor's degree is not enough to get you noticed in the economy and forces some people to spend more money and time on masters degrees and PhDs. You have to decide what path you want to take and what are the trade offs. If you don't want to get a higher education, then going in business or sales for yourself is a good way to make money. Both the academic and business path are going to be a lot of work, but it's what is necessary to set you apart from your competition. So don't wish it was easier, just wish you were better and the way you get better is start focusing on your skills. 

On the path to greatness, there will be sacrifices. Saying no to going out with friends, a lower standard of living while you work towards your goals, and moments of loneliness because not many people are doing what you're doing, but you're a strong individual that can handle that because you trained for this moment. So keep wishing for harder moments periodically because it's what you need to stay focused and stay strong and when other people come at you, you'll be ready for it because you didn't wish it was easier.

Journal Prompts

1. If you constantly did hard things, while the majority of folks did easy things, how would this make you more prepared for life?
2. What is an area that you wish was easier? How can training make it easier for you to do?