I remember the moment I asked myself, why do I live an average life? That is the moment I decided I needed to change everything. I needed to change my morning routine, how I communicated with people, how often I exercise, how much I drink, and how much I focus on making myself a better person.
Over the past several months, I have completely changed the way I operate my life. I like to wake up at least an hour before my girls rise for school. Mind you, I was not doing this six months ago. Six months ago I was getting only fifteen minutes prior to the girls and that was just to take a shower. That did not leave me much time to do anything for myself. Now I use this time to write my blog post for the day or I spend time reading. I find the mornings I have the most creativity and best concentration so I want to take full advantage of my creative state.
By the time the girls wake up, I have already accomplished a tremendous amount and I feel immense fulfillment. Many times, I’m left wanting more. Six months ago, I could have never said this. I was going through the motions and not doing anything that was getting me closer to my goals. I was getting ready for the day, dropping the girls off at school, and then driving my 45 minute commute to work. Frankly, my day really didn’t get started until I walk through the doors at my job. It was very monotonous and predictable.
I felt average even though I strived for much more. What I didn’t realize at the time, I was doing it all wrong. I would often think to myself what I was doing wrong. If I just knew what I needed to , I would do it. It wasn’t what I was doing wrong, it was what I wasn’t doing. I was stuck in the predictable trap and not growing.
I was doing what most somewhat successful people do. I worked hard, I got involved with different charities, I became a Board Member, I signed up for different networking groups and attended meetings here and there. I was oblivious and truly thought this was all I had to do to achieve greatness. I was so frustrated when I wasn’t getting the results I wanted.
Imagine that, just doing the basics did not get me to the results I was craving. I look at the things I am doing now and it is so much more than what I did six months ago. I wake up each morning with a with a clear purpose. I look at time as a precious asset and something I need to maximize. If I find myself drifting to actions that will not benefit my goals, I snap myself out of it, and get back on track. I never viewed my time this intently before. I am more focused on learning and stepping out of my comfort-zone. I now want to feel uncomfortable because then I know I am doing and growing.
I look back now and understand how average I was, even though I had a burning desire inside of me to obtain greatness. I can now see the ability to obtain what I have set out to do. Six months ago I had way too many roadblocks that I put in my own way. Some of these roadblocks I didn’t even know I had until I started down this path. I have now removed most roadblocks, even though I discover different roadblocks standing in my way all the time. I have several ah-ha moments where I realize I what is holding me back. You learn a tremendous amount about yourself through the process. You will realize you can actually accomplish more than you even thought possible once you start making better decisions.