In the “War of Art” by Steven Pressfield, you’ll find this:
“It is one thing to study war
and another to live the warrior’s life.”
This is a quote from Telamon of Arcadia, and it can obviously be applied to areas outside of war.
It is one thing to study business
and another to live the entrepreneur’s life.
It is one thing to study cashflow
and another to live the Cashflownaire’s life.
It is one thing to study health and
another to live a healthy life.
It is one thing to study discipline
and another to live a disciplined life.
I find most people like to study and talk about things.
They, however, do not like to DO things. They are unwilling to live the lives of those they study. They want what they see but are unwilling to do what’s necessary to get what they want.
Over the years, I’ve received hundreds of emails from people who indicated that they studied one or more of my business or investing ideas and decided not to pursue them for various reasons. In the majority of cases, the reason they decided not to pursue the idea was because it required work they didn’t want to do.
They want a million-dollar business without running any advertisements, facing any rejection, dealing with any risk, or having to work their asses off.
They want thousands of dollars of monthly cashflow without having to deal with deadbeat tenants, evictions and fixing up damaged properties.
The reality is everything we want in life requires some form of misery. Some form of work we don’t want to do.
And oddly enough in my journey, I have found that the most profitable opportunities include the most misery. The more I avoid misery, the harder my life becomes. The more I embrace misery, the easier my life becomes.
Back to “The War of Art:”
“There’s a myth that Marine Corps training turns
baby-faced recruits into bloodthirsty killers.
What it does teach, however, is a lot more useful.
The Marine Corps teaches you how to be miserable.
This is invaluable. Marines love to be miserable.”
MARINES ARE BADASSES because they are willing to do what you and I aren’t willing to do – embrace misery.
Today, it seems like everyone wants to avoid misery. They don’t “see” that some form of misery is required in order to get whatever it is we want in life.
They continue to run from misery and end up living miserable lives.
Want a six-pack? Your misery is changing what you eat and when you eat it.
Want to be a Cashflownaire? Your misery is finding problem properties and solving the problems. Your misery is starting a new business from scratch. Your misery is paying off your debt instead of buying the new car.
In the book, “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F@ck“, by Mark Manson you’ll find this:
“Who you are is defined by what you’re willing to struggle for.
People who enjoy the struggles of the gym are the ones who run triathlons and have chiseled abs and can bench press a small house….
This is not about willpower or grit. This is not another admonishment of “no pain, no gain.” This is the most simple and basic component of life: Our struggles determine our successes. Our problems birth our happiness, along with slightly better, slightly upgraded problems.”
What misery are you avoiding?
What problems are you running from?
What mess are you ignoring?
Take a second and study this sketch. Reality is paced with ups and downs. You have to be willing to go through each valley in order to reach the peak.
Everything will always be 10 times harder than it should.
The best part is that most people aren’t willing to do what’s necessary to succeed. Most people run from misery. This means you have virtually NO competition.
After reading the warrior quote in Pressfield’s book, I wrote the following notes to myself:
HOW TO LIVE A WARRIOR’S LIFE:
- Face my fears.
- Do what needs to be done. NOW.
- Say what needs to be said.
- Be strong, not meek.
- Do not make excuses.
- Do not rationalize.
- Take action.
- Move toward misery.
- Do what other people
won’t do
The good news is that misery is very profitable.
When you embrace misery, things get instantly easier.
When you plan to work 10 times harder, you’ll find it’s not nearly as bad as you expected it to be.
When you do what you need to do, you’re quickly rewarded. It’s like a little test. Once you pass the misery test and prove you can deal with misery, your life gets much better.
