Most of Us Failed Before We Even Started
Leopard — Cheetah Channel
Every single one of us dream about the day we achieve our goals. We all think of the version of our life we’re dying to live. Yet, I’m willing to bet a lot of us don’t think about how we’re going to get there. If you do think about how, I’m going take another bet and say you haven’t done all that you can to get there.
For those of you that do the best of your ability, give yourself a pat on the back. You’re on the right path.
For everyone else, some changes need to be made. It comes from the one mindset you all have in common: complacency.
Recently, I was on a phone call with a few friends discussing complacency and someone asked a really simple question.
What is complacency?
The answer, at first, seemed obvious. It’s a state of satisfaction with your current achievements.
But, is that true? Are complacent people satisfied? Looking around me, I don’t really see satisfaction. Everyone wants a new car, a new spouse, a new job, a new house, etc.
They want it but they’re not doing anything to get it.
Complacency isn’t fulfillment of your goals. It’s a state of “good enough.”
It’s a state of comfort.
It may seem nice, or even preferable, to remain in this mindset. But, not achieving your goals is the price you’ll have to pay.
Luckily, it can be fixed. The complacency we all see stems from a fear of leaving your comfort zone. It may be speaking on a TED stage or going for a run but the underlying incentives are the same.
For example, during this COVID-19 quarantine, I decided I wanted to exercise more often. I envisioned myself going on a run and working out. I’d even pick the workouts I’d do. But, when it got around to it, I was too comfortable sitting in my own bed to go on a run.
I told myself it was because I was busy or because it was too cold outside. But the truth is: the weather was great and I had more than enough free time.
I was complacent and to fix it, I had to leave my comfort zone.
I needed to embrace discomfort.
So, I decided it’s time to change. I realized if I want to do something, I need to plan for it. I decided that the next day at 2, I would go on a run.
I’ve always found that planning for my future self is extremely effective. I’m locking myself into a scenario before my complacency instincts kick in and say it’s time to flee.
So, yeah, I went on a run. I’m happy to say I’ve been exercising everyday since then. I’m embracing discomfort and finishing strong.
Now, that I bypassed that hurdle, I asked myself “am I still complacent?” But, again, the answer isn’t that simple.
Complacency is a state of “good enough” but trying once doesn’t get you out of that hole. Anti-complacency is a constant state of constant growth and forward motion.
It’s not one day or one week. It’s everyday and it’s ultimately who you are.
I think of anti-complacency like being a lion.
Lions have to hunt everyday and so do we.
Even if a lion chased down its prey today, they don’t stop hunting tomorrow. Every day it must hunt or it’ll starve. There are always new challenges that appear but those have to be tackled. At the end of the day, every lion has to get their food somehow.
Picture yourself as the lion. Pick a goal and chase it.
Personal Website: www.anishamusti.com
My name is Anisha Musti. I’m 15 years old and passionate about quantum computing and artificial intelligence. Thank you for reading and I hope you learned something! Stay up to date for more articles on quantum computing, AI, and other interesting topics.
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