Embracing a Good Habit

           

            How difficult is it to start something new?  As the school year begins, the time comes for starting new habits.  After vacation-filled summers, we tend to lose the diligence and organization that is pounded into us during the fall and winter.  As I pass through the materials section in the university bookstore, I notice how many daily planners have been purchased.  I can’t help but to wonder what percentage of those planners purchased are used daily.  Daily organization is a habit I have always envied of people around me.  Those people seem to always have an advantage in life.  We may perceive them as “showoffs” or “goody-goods,” but realistically, they are the ones who worked their tails off to get ahead of everyone else. 
            Is there a secret to getting ahead of the competition in life?  My lesson learned this week came from a quote I stumbled across earlier.  This quote is from Mark Twain.  He said, "The secret of getting ahead is getting started.”  I love the wisdom that is found in simplicity.  I learned, as simple as it may sound, that if I want to get ahead in life with good habits, all I have to do is start.  Starting puts you ahead of everyone else.  Then you can worry about perfecting whatever it is you started. 

+ Social Media -

      Do we ever analyze what type of effect social media plays in our lives?  I believe everything created in this world has good intentions, there are just way to turn something good into something bad.  It just depends on if we use everything we have been blessed with in a positive or a negative way.  I like to think of my use of social media in a good way.  Although, at times it can be distracting or a time-waster, I believe I use it in a positive way.  Not only to I communicate to retain long-lasting friendships, I use social media to benefit my own life. 

      I enjoy “following” inspirational channels.  These “channels” can be anything from a successful person, a company I enjoy, or a page that posts quotes.  One of my recent favorite channels is the company Nike on the picture social media called Instagram.  They recently posted a picture and quote that gave me a powerful insight. 

      The quote in the top right portion of this post reads, “You can only change yourself if you challenge yourself. #justdoit.”  Reading this post helped me lot in areas that I need help.  Other than the personal insight I gained from this, I learned how social media could play a positive role in our lives if we use it correctly.  I have committed to myself to continue using social media in the positive, useful way that I have. 

Success - Is it for everyone?

       One of the most respectable people I have come across in my life is Larry Gelwix.  He has had a successful life with many notable achievements.  Most notably, he was the head coach of the Highland rugby team portrayed in the Hollywood film “Foreverstrong”.  I have been blessed to have a close personal relationship with him as I served a two-year volunteer religious service under his direction.  One thing I respect about him is his ability to continue having a lasting effect upon his many connections.  He sends an inspirational email every day to a huge list of his friends and other acquaintances.  An email I received from him earlier this week has had a profound impact on my perception of learning.  It contained a quote that reads:

"Whenever you see a successful person you only see the public glories, never the private sacrifices to reach them." - Vaibhav Shah

      Often, I compare myself to the successful people I see around me and have feelings of jealousy, and discontentment of my own success.  I wrongly see them as those who were born into a wealthy situation or just “got lucky” with an opportunity.  This quote I received allowed me to humble myself and accept the truth of hard work.  Great sacrifices precede any success one gains in life. 

      Everyone faces sacrifices in life.  The success comes from those who made a habit of giving up something to gain something superior.  Those sacrifices don’t have to include astronomical changes; they could include small changes each day.  For example, waking up at seven in the morning is not a huge sacrifice, but making a habit of doing so each morning for years on end is indeed a huge sacrifice. 

     Many sacrifices people face are not necessarily appropriate to take at that period in time.  One needs long-term vision to properly know what sacrifices are appropriate; some only open their eyes to short term, where the reward does not pay out.

      Everyone who has ever achieved something has doubters.  A doubter is someone who views the sacrifice as greater than the reward, therefore “doubts” the decision to sacrifice.  To those who doubt, let them listen to Bill Cosby who simply put it, “In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure.”

      I have always had doubters in my life.  I needed to learn this life lesson so I can go through life, and be able to know what it really takes to be successful.  So from here on, I will not perceive those who I see as successful as “lucky”.  I will give myself more credit for my hard work, and not let the doubters in my life have such an effect on my morale and behavior.  I know what success is, and I know what it takes.