Even if we succeed at safe, there will always be something more, a greater void we need filled, and no matter what we try and fill it with, be it money, things, trips, girls, cars, porn, drugs, we’ll just create a greater, emptier, hungrier void, yet we’re too conditioned to play it safe that the “danger” and excitement we seek to fill this void in our life is merely danger, empty danger, not the real adventure that we used to be in touch with when we were young, or can once again be aware of when we shut our eyes at night.
Breaking Free
So many of us live life as if we’re counting down the days. Everyday is the same as the one before, with minor adjustments, and minuscule variation. Here’s a thought I had driving home from Staples where I grabbed a new white board (a massive new white board)…
I want to live a life that if it were a movie, people wouldn’t dare fast forward a single second of it.
It’s along the same lines as living a life that, on your final day, you have nothing left to give, nothing left to experience, and you’re welcoming death because you’ve lived such a hard, audacious, ambitious existence. You can’t live and be safe. The two ideas are mutually exclusive. They can’t be used in the same sentence, or exist in the same idea of what it is to live.
That thought led to this article. This article is leading to a process I’ve been working on a fair bit in the last few months – one that is explicit in the content I’m coming out with…
How high will I fly? How much can I really accomplish if I think bigger than everyone, and work harder than everyone?
What I have learned thus far is this…
- We need to Be Legendary physically.
We need to build our bodies to be able to hold us up for everything we’re going to do with our lives. A weak body leads a weak life.
- We need to learn through reading, and through experience.
Experience has taught me a lot – mainly from my failures in life – as have books. The books usually lead me to the experiences and make me aware of the fact that I’m in one of the experiences that is teaching me something about life, and about how to live.
- Excellence is a habit, not an act.
Average articles don’t concern me. I see the benefit of the “5 tips” type articles, but they’re everywhere. What aren’t everywhere are the Alpha Male posts, the How to Be a Real Man articles, the Man the Fuck Up! stuff I’ve done. Aim for greatness in everything you do, whether that’s a workout or a letter to your lady, it doesn’t matter.
- Men need adventure.
Wild at Heart is a wonderful book that will ignite the real man in you. It’s not a “do this to become a real man”, but a look at how all men need adventure. All men have at least a little bit of Teddy Roosevelt in them. It’s when we’re too much like Danny Tanner that we move away from our core as men, warriors, and adventurers. Seek adventure, it’s who you are. It’s how you live.
- Fear is a great guide.
Most people run from their fears. Like I said earlier, we often don’t even acknowledge them because we’re too damn scared to man up. So we hide, cower, and let them pass us by. But fear is a great guide as to what we really want in life.
This is one thing I’m paying close attention to these days: What excites me? What scares me?
It’s these fears that we should gravitate towards. It’s these fears that require our risk, our time, and our hard work. Are you afraid to really dedication yourself in the gym? To really work hard and stay disciplined in the gym because you think your genetics are holding you back? If so, you should probably grab a program, stick to a diet, and work your ass off – you deserve it.
Many are afraid of failure, of risk, of breaking off on their own and seeing what they’re made of. What is it in your life that you’re most afraid of breaking off and doing? Move toward it, don’t flee from it.
You’re Meant to Be Legendary
You’re not meant to be average, or like your neighbor. So stop doing the things that keep you in this box. Move away from them. Do things differently, take risks, follow and face your fears. I’m doing it, and it’s a beautiful thing this life led when pushed to its limits; this life led attacking, seeking, and facing the fears that hold so many down, and crumble so many futures, halting them in their tracks. Re-read this article quickly. It’s time to stand out, to stand up, and to see what this thang called life is all about. I salute you in advance.
