If there was one wish I could have come true above all else, it would be for everyone to inherently believe to their very core that they are unstoppable.
The world will try to break you.
It will throw the shit at you time and time again.
It will do everything in its power to stop you.
But it can’t.
You are unstoppable.
As much as it sucks in the moment, and there may be many moments depending on a litany of external factors beyond what I can type here, there’s one thing to keep in mind. You have survived 100% of your worst days – and that is something we can all smile about.
“But Eric, I have it WAAAAAY worse than you or anyone else does.”
That may be true, but I’m not here to argue levels of struggle. Struggle is struggle and adversity is adversity as it pertains to you. We are all in different circumstances but have the same strength to rise above the situation we’re in to become our best selves and live our best lives.
It’s easy to look around and see people that seem to have it all together and are on top of the world, but what’s great is that you can be that person too. You ARE that person too! The only difference between you and that person is that when faced with whatever challenge was standing in their way, that person stood up and found a way around it.
They found light in the darkness.
They found a new way to deal with an old problem.
They found ways to prioritize their goals.
They. Did. Not. Quit.
Because they know they are unstoppable.
If you are struggling to stay the course or light your fire, grab some paper/a pencil and try a little exercise that has helped me time and time again over the course of my own challenges and adversity:
Start by thinking about and writing down what it is you want in this life– where you want to be; who you want to be; what you want in this life – with as much detail as possible. The more detailed, the more real it will be in your mind.
Now, if you’re not there yet, break it down into what kind of person it takes to be to get there. What kinds of things does that person do every day? What kind of things does that person value in life? Who are they to themselves/ their families/ their community?
Next you’ll take stock of your current situation and note all the things currently standing in your way. All the adversity keeping you from becoming that person. This is where we get out ALL the negativity. All the bad juju about our families, our jobs, our social circles, etc. and really get into all of the things that we think of as being out of our control. All the things that happen in our day-to-day life that take us away from that “best self” image from earlier. As hard as it can be, get ALL of it out.
This step may be best to do in a list form as it will lead into the next one…
Take a second here and let’s re-cap. Go back to the start of the exercise and re-read through all the things you’ve written down. Remind yourself of that future you; who that person is; and all the things standing in your way right now.
Once you’ve come back to the current spot, it’s time to take that list of all the adversity in your way and time to write out what you can do to control that environment or situation in a way that lines up with that person you want to become. It doesn’t need to be super in-depth, but it needs to be real, obvious, simple to implement, and in line with you are and who you want to be.
Go over that list again.
Go over it a third time.
Forget triple checking – QUADRUPLE check it.
Now that you can see in front of you all the things you want to become; who that person is; and what you can control in a world trying to control you, it’s time to act.
Act on that final list. Chip away one at a time at all the things standing in your way by implementing the ways you’ve come up with address it and watch your best self unfold before your eyes. Spend 2-3 weeks at a time focusing on one task at a time and continue building layer upon layer until you reach your goals!
Re-visit this list as often as needed until it’s engrained in your brain, then revisit it again! Keep it fresh, handy, and build on it as you go. As you begin to become your best self, chances are that your values and vision may change as well when you start to dial in toward those goals. Feel free to amend as you need, but the practice and steps remain the same.
By taking a look at all the things standing in our way (external and internal) that are keeping you from becoming who you’re supposed to be, only then can you start to address how to take control and lead life instead of letting life lead you.
You are amazing.
You are full of abundance and wealth.
You are unstoppable!