“We must all suffer one of two things; the pain of discipline, or the pain of regret or disappointment” – Jim Rohn, entrepreneur, author

Picture this; your dreams have all come true. You can see the mansion, the new cars in your driveway, your gorgeous spouse and beautiful kids sitting poolside. You’re at complete peace. Like Timon and Pumbaa preach, you have no worries!!!

That’s the destination we all strive to find ourselves in, but it’s not just about destination; it’s the journey. We all want the destination, but not all of us are willing to do what’s necessary to get there.

When the work starts, a lot of us get frustrated. Trust me, I’ve been there, After stepping on a scale and seeing the number 271 pop up, I knew I didn’t want to ever see that number again, so I had to find the discipline to change it. When I started running, it was the hardest thing I had ever done.

I have always been a dreamer, so having a day job was like torture. I couldn’t always push myself to go to a “regular job” because all I cared about was the future I wanted as a paid musician. Not gonna lie to you, there were days I would call in sick to work, then pretend to actually go to work so my roommates thought I was at work. Pathetic I know.

Those days when I wouldn’t accomplish anything were killing me. Sure it was easy, but it was aimless. It’s not like I was actually doing anything productive or useful to further my aspirations.

Somewhere along the way, I came across a quote many of us know;

“If you do what is easy, your life will be hard. But if you do what is hard, your life will be easy.” -Les Brown, Motivational Speaker

Once I fully conceptualized that statement, it was like a weight lifted. An explosion went off in my brain that broke down all my barriers. My life was going nowhere because I wasn’t willing to do the hard work.

If you want a better body, you have to do hard workouts.

If you want a better job, you have to do harder tasks.

If you want more money and financial stability, you have to work longer and harder hours.

If you want to chase your dreams, you have to accept harder days until you see it become reality.

GO AFTER A DREAM

“There’s no way you lose when you go after a dream, it always leads to something better.” – Bill Burr, Comedian, Podcaster, Actor

One of the most uplifting speeches I’ve ever heard was from comedian Bill Burr. On his podcast, he was answering an email a fan sent him, asking him what he should do with his life. The guy had mentioned he was a teacher that had previously won a literary award, and he was wondering if he should pursue his dream of becoming a full-time writer. He stated financially he should probably stay working as a teacher for financial reasons, but that he had a passion.

Burr started off his response with the quote above. Then, he went into a beautiful rant about why you have to chase your dream. I’ve followed Bill Burr’s career since 2010, when he was just starting to find mainstream success and now he is renowned as one of the greatest comedians to have ever lived.

Famously, he has been very open about the struggles of his life while he went after what he has now. He slept on a futon until he was 36 years old. He worked odd jobs during the day to support himself while he pursued stand-up comedy professionally. He’s a great mentor. Listen to the whole speech. It will absolutely fire you up.

Now I have been on both ends of the “do hard things” spectrum. I’ve been the “can’t catch a break guy” and I’ve been the “you can do it” guy. I know which guy I’d rather be.

Everything I have in my life today that I love is a direct result of doing hard things. I had to go through a divorce and face the harsh reality of being divorced in my 30’s before I could find my true love. I had to push myself to go to a gym so I could get the body I wanted.

I’m sober now. It’s not easy. Every day is hard. That’s why alcoholics and addicts always have to take it one day at a time. But it makes life so much easier being clear all the time.

It’s also hard to do this. It’s hard to put yourself out there as much as I do. It’s hard to commit what little free time I have to do this. But it’s leading to the life I dream of for my family.

We all have some kind of burning passion inside of us, and we all have goals we want to achieve. Whatever that hurdle is in front of you, I can assure you that you will love yourself so much more when you get over that hurdle.

You might clip your knee cap a few times, or strain your hammy on one of your attempts, but eventually you’ll get over the hump and stand tall on the other side.

Here’s a tip I remind myself of all the time; for every day that was hard, how did you feel when you finally got home and got to put your feet up? Doesn’t it feel way more earned?? Like truly. If I could take that feeling and put it into a pill I could take every day I would. But life doesn’t work that way. It NEEDS to be earned to feel that good.

I’ve had days where I worked my day job and it was gruelling. Then I’d come home, walk the dogs, cook supper, get a task done that needed to be done, and then head off to play a gig for three hours. One those days, I relish the opportunity to come home, grab a cold diet coke and a bowl of popcorn, and put my feet up while in my heated blanket watching some YouTube channels I’m a fan of. Fuck that feeling is my favourite drug.

Nobody is gonna save you, but you already know how beautiful it is going to be when you are finally sipping that sweet iced tea poolside where all your dreams have come true.