Mastery Blog # 3 Pt. 2

         What are some of the things in your life that are getting in the way from you achieving MASTERY?  What are some things that you surround yourself with that are keeping you in-line with the status quo and normality?  It's a big question, and one that needs a lot of self-awareness, self-reflection, honesty, and vulnerability.

        Now we all have "bad" habits or vices.  I love anime and chocolate covered almonds, and I like to stay up late and despise mornings.  I know that of myself, and I have learned to, not necessarily limit myself or deprive myself, but to schedule those habits so that it is not interfering with my goals.  The sleep one is still a bit tricky for me, but I'm working on it.  When we talk about the "things" around us that are encouraging us to remain "average", I'm not necessarily talking about something that is tangible.  It could very well be that the "things" you are surrounding yourself with are choices.  Choices that aren't helping you in your journey to mastery.  If I choose to sit around eating cheezies and not train, that's a choice.  Heck, even if I am training consistently, but am still consistently spending time sitting around as a mountain of cheezy dust forms, well then I am also contributing to the choice of mediocrity.

        The biggest shift I made for myself came in my late 20's, when I became serious about my health.  That included my diet (what I was choosing to fuel my body and mind with), it included prioritizing exercise in various forms, it included educating myself on habits that contributed to healthy body and mind, proper sleep habits, and it included moving away from people who weren't contributing to a healthy lifestyle/mind, and finding and surrounding myself with people who wanted better for themselves.  That last one is DIFFICULT.  It is not something to be taken lightly, but in the long run, it can be lifechanging.  You have to know what you want out of life, and recognize who can help get you there (mentors, teachers, friends), and perhaps more importantly, also recognize who around you is not contributing to the life you want to live.

        Lastly, I wanted to quickly touch on the "limits" we arbitrarily set on ourselves.  It is the "I can't" mindset.  To which I ask "Why not?  Have you even tried?".  Most of us tend to defeat ourselves before even trying.  We make excuses for why we can't, and why it would never work.  We all make excuses.  That is completely normal, BUT, if you endeavor for mastery, you try regardless of the fear of failure.  Really, that is what it comes down to.  FEAR.  We're afraid of failing, afraid of embarrassing ourselves, afraid of getting hurt.  These fears aren't real unless you try.  Most times when we try, we realize that those fears are unfounded.