273. But What If You’re Wrong?

It’s hard to be you.
I get it.

It’s not easy to find enough time to focus on achieving your dreams. There are always other commitments. Always other distractions. There’s always another temptation around another corner.

Life has a way of getting in the way.
It’s ok.
I understand.

I know how you feel when you’re stuck in the riptide of time. I know what it’s like when those hopes that once seemed so close are suddenly swept from your grasp in the raging rapids.

The days seem long but the years fly on by.

If you’re anything like me, maybe sometimes you wish you could just stop time from rolling forward so fast. So maybe you try to hold on to it tightly – to capture the moment in a paralyzing embrace.

You try to strangle it, to squeeze a little harder. You want to force time to stay still, so you can for once – for just one time – truly appreciate the present without it suddenly slipping out of reach.

But you can’t do it.
Nobody can.

You blink your eyes as an 11-year-old and suddenly you’ve become 31. Or 40. Or however old you are right now.

What happened to those dreams anyway?
Where did they go?

Are they still dangling on a collapsing cobweb in the attic of your memory?

Because if they are there, if there is still a faint light flickering in the distance, it’s time to reach out and grasp that future you’ve dreamed of.

There’s a future you waiting out there. I guarantee it.
It’s the you that you want to be. All you have to do is commit to be it.

To hold on to your dreams, you just have to be yourself in a world whose sole job is to turn you into somebody else.

It’s not easy to be yourself. It’s a battle. But the secret to winning the battle is to know your enemy. And that’s the good news. Because the only enemy you have is you.

There’s one thing – and only one thing – that’s holding you back from being the true you that you want to be.

It’s the stories you tell yourself inside your head.

The stories we tell ourselves can be limiting or freeing. They could hold you back or propel you forward.

• After all, I didn’t think I could run a 5k until I finished my first
• Then when I completed a half marathon there was no way I could imagine doing it twice in a row
• And when I finished a marathon, running even one step further seemed virtually impossible
• Then I finished my first Ironman Triathlon and felt like I could’ve gone on forever

We convince ourselves that we can’t succeed. We tell ourselves we just aren’t good enough. Then we search our lives for the evidence to support our narrative.

But what if you’re wrong?
What if you built the very walls that are holding you inside?

What if you’re not actually a prisoner to your stories of self-doubt? Those stories have been a lie the entire time. The escape hatch has always been unlocked. Just leave those feelings behind and walk away.

You see, fear is the demon that always holds you back.
Fear of failure.
Fear of change.
Fear of getting out of your comfort zone.

It’s fear that stops you from taking the leap. It’s fear that keeps you in a bad job or a bad relationship.

It’s fear that stops you from being the you that you want to be.

Fear is inevitable. It will always be there.

The courage to move forward despite the fear, that’s the optional part. It’s the part that is all within your control.

Goldfish grow to the size of their bowl.
If you want a small goldfish, put it in a small bowl.

Want a bigger goldfish? Buy a bigger bowl.

It’s time for you to buy a bigger bowl.
It’s time to change the narrative and grow into the person you want to be.

You are the writer, director, and star of your own life.
Ask yourself, are you performing a triumph or tragedy?

Because maybe today is the day to start telling a new tale: one where the hero lives their dreams.

Maybe today you accept a compliment without putting yourself down.
Maybe you polish up that resume or start training for that race.
Maybe today you ask for that raise or stand up for your self-respect.

It takes courage to live your own life.
It takes the courage to take one small step in the direction of your fears instead of away from them.

It’s time to begin the journey.
You’ve postponed long enough.

So take a deep breath and dive into the deep end of your dreams.
Get off the couch.
Get out of your comfort zone.
Take a chance today.
Face the fire.

Time won’t wait for you to be ready. The time is now.

Be relentless.
Be fearless.

There is nothing that’s holding you back but you.

Your future is waiting.
Go.