the Truth Will Set You Free (to be who you ought to be)

We're all going through life trying to create victory.

Especially as men. We're trying to 'win' at life. But, winning at life isn't black and white, cut and dry, or even relatively clear.

It's muddled in uncertainty. Even what we ought to pursue isn't clear. Men build empires only to die alone. They succeed wildly at the thing they pursue only to find that they pursued the wrong thing.

We have to decide who to be, how to be, what to aim at, and what micro aims we have to aim at to create the overarching aim of our life.

It's not that simple.

So, let's talk only about truth. Let's talk only about certainties; things we know are GOOD. You're aiming at something now, you're in it, so let's stick with that as the aim.

Maybe it's multifaceted (my aims are). Maybe you want to be a great dad, a good man, a great husband, while achieving things in your work life that are important to you, but also important to the thriving of those around you. You need to be strong and healthy for you, and for them.

There's still truths we can live by that uplift each of these aims, no matter what they may be.

1. Create a clean soul, a clean conscience.

We have an internal guide as to what's good and what isn't. It's a marvellous thing. When we go against it, we lose confidence, we become stressed, and grumpy. 

Don't do things that damage your soul.

And, do things that uplift it.

You see this in missed workouts, looking at dirty videos, procrastination, losing one's temper, even being stressed when there are other options.

We're at our very best when we follow through on our word, especially our word to ourselves.

Do the things you tell yourself you ought to do, and don't do the things you tell yourself you ought not to do. Simple, yes. Easy, no.

It is very cut-and-dry, which brings clarity to our lives when we think of it in this way. We're feeding ourselves proper fuel to thrive, or we're eating poison.

We see life (mistakenly) on a long timeline. Life is really about what we choose to do now. It's a series of 'nows'. It's made great by good decisions now, and it's destroyed by making bad decisions now.

On my desk, for example, I have a few daily rules. Don't 'check things', is one of them. Don't check stats on the business, don't check news, don't check social media, don't check Youtube.

These are distractions from my mission to serve. They're not 'evil', but they pull me away from good work, from providing value.

What pulls you away from creating value in life? 

It can be small, it can be big. It can be a bad action, or not doing something good, like a workout.

We gain confidence (which is so utterly important in life) by doing good things and avoiding bad things. We gain confidence by completing good tasks, through discipline.

Feed your confidence by doing the good and avoiding the bad.

2. Limitations are self-imposed.

Read enough history and you'll know this is true. Yet, we all have a voice that dreams, that aims high, and another that talks negatively, that shatters these goals and dreams before they're even embarked upon, or while we're striving to achieve them.

The negative voice is unnecessary and destructive. We don't need it.

The only reliable method I've found for removing the negative is the next truth...

3. The moment is all that exists.

We're weird animals. We exist primarily in the future or the past, and our bodies and lives hurt because of it.

Chronic stress cannot exist in the moment, only by worrying about the future (primarily where it exists) or regretting the past.

If you've ever been in the flow state while working or playing a sport, you'll know that your performance reaches another level when the moment is all that exists.

Stress goes away. Even when I was boxing, you're stressed when you're walking into the ring, but the bell rings and you're brought into the moment. Time slows. 

Life passes us by at a rapid pace when we're not present. We worry about a future that may not come, regret a past that no longer exists, and avoid the only timeline that is real.

If you want to live well, achieve more, be happier, be more effective...

Do good things, avoid doing bad things.

Don't limit yourself in any way, these limitations aren't real.

And, be in the moment.

Fight the urge to worry about future outcomes. Do the work, the acts, the deeds, that hedge your odds to a positive outcome.

Whatever your potential self is, he depends on these 3 things....

Whether it's business tycoon, good father, husband, good man, or all of the above, he demands you stack positive tasks, take positive risks, and do it all while remaining present.

If you can be this guy for a moment, you can be this guy for a day.

If you can be this way for a day, you can be this way for a lifetime.

We'll all fail at this, but go easy on yourself, too. Just re-set, come back to the moment, come back to discipline, and keep stacking positive tasks.

That's how we live well.

Get after it.

Be Legendary, 

Chad Howse