The end of the year always has me reflecting on where I am and where I’m headed. I know I discuss this topic frequently, but trust me when I say it’s of vital importance.
Today, I want to discuss an unavoidable truth. We are all on a journey, each of us moving towards a destination. This is true for everyone. You might feel stuck, as if you’re not progressing, but the reality is that you are. Every passing moment ages your body, bringing you one step closer to your inevitable destination. I’m not talking about death, although we’ll all get there eventually. Unless, of course, someone figures out how to upload our consciousness onto the internet, allowing us to live forever. But that would be a kind of death in itself, and I don’t think I’ll be participating in that experiment.
Setting aside death or a potentially eternal, terrible life, I’m talking about a different destination, one that is just as inevitable. It may sound strange, and it’s a bit hard to dig past the obviousness of it, but the place you’re going is where you will be. I can practically feel most of you rolling your eyes, but stick with me.
I know I’ve told this story before, but it bears repeating. There was a moment in my life when I was sitting at my computer in a small room in my house, waiting for a video game to load. As I stared at the screen, I had an epiphany. Sometimes, the pressures of life conspire to give us a glimpse into the future. That’s exactly what I had – a glimpse into my future. I thought to myself, “In ten years, this is where I’ll be. This is what I’ll be doing.” Sure, the game might change, but I’ll still be sitting here, staring at this loading screen. Nothing meaningful in my life will have changed.
What I realized in that moment is that I was on a journey, and its destination was the exact place I was already in. This is the principle in its simplest form: if you don’t take action, you’ll end up exactly where you are.
It’s important to note that if you do take action, you’ll end up somewhere else, but it might not be where you want to be. I constantly remind my children of this when they react to situations in ways that aren’t beneficial to them or anyone else. I remember doing this as a child. While it’s easier to see when you’re observing from the outside, it’s an important lesson. If something happens in your life and you react in a way that isn’t beneficial to you or anyone else, you’ll still get an outcome. You’ll still face consequences. You’ll still end up somewhere new. You just might not like where that new place is.
As the year draws to a close, I find myself reflecting on where I am, where I’m headed, and where I want to end up. It’s only through conscious thought and decision-making that we can control our outcomes. This is a universal principle. You could pull anyone off the street, sit them down, and interview them about their life, relationships, future plans, and the steps they’re taking. Within reason, you’d be able to predict where they’ll end up. So why can’t we do the same for ourselves? Why can’t we assess ourselves, examine where we are and what we’re doing, and try to figure out where we’ll end up as a result?
If you do ten push-ups every day for the next year, you’ll be stronger this time next year. You’ll have reached a place of greater physical strength. If you write one page every day for a year, you’ll become a better writer. But if you don’t, if you keep procrastinating, if you don’t take action or step onto the path that leads to becoming a better writer, you won’t improve.
To reiterate one of my favorite quotes, “Every action I take is a vote for my future self.” Every time I act, I’m taking a step forward on a path that either leads to the outcome I want or it doesn’t.
As you consider the kind of author you want to be, as you think about how you want to improve or change your life, I encourage you to think about it in concrete terms of action. What path will you choose? Having a clear determination in our minds goes a long way in helping us reach our goals.
YouTube Video Link: https://youtu.be/5i-akAOi4Fo
Thanks for reading and watching.
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