So many of us get trapped in this thing called indecision, right? We know what we want, but we can’t seem to take that step. No matter how hard we try, we just keep delaying it. We know we want to do it. There was a quote that I came across not too long ago, and it has sort of become my mantra, if you will. And the quote is, “You know what you want to do. You’re just negotiating with comfort.” What a beautiful quote. “You know what you want to do. You’re just negotiating with comfort.”
This is the story of so many people’s lives, including mine at some stage. We know what we want to do, but we somehow keep delaying it. And that delay eventually costs us in many ways what we want to do with our lives and so forth. And it’s such a tragedy that the step that we are thinking of taking is not actually a big step. It’s a step that you and I can take, but because it’s new, because it’s something we haven’t done before, we are fearful of it. We think we might fail. We think we don’t know enough. It’s just the unknown. We think it’s like cold water. No, only if this water were to get warmer. The water will not get warmer. The water will be cold. You’ve got to dive in.
I’ve pasted two of my favorite quotes also in this blog post, and you can read them. And they so resonate with me, especially the second one, “The goal is to die with memories, not dreams.” The goal is to die with memories and not regrets. There was an urban myth, I don’t know if it’s correct or not, but there was a nurse who had seen a lot of patients die, and always she had asked them, “What is that one thing that’s on their mind before they die?” And surprisingly, all of them kept saying they regret not having done this or not having done that. It was always a regret of not having done something, and that was very powerful.
And here is the revelation that perhaps we are not ready for. And the revelation is you have it in you to do it. You have the strength, you have the patience, you have everything inside of you to do this thing. The resolve, the resilience, the drive, the capacity to lead, the capacity to execute, the capacity to finish, the understanding on how to learn, how to navigate, on how to excel, the strength required to do and overcome hurdles, everything. You have all of that. It’s just like I said, you’re negotiating with comfort.
One of the best things I struggled with was going to the gym, right? We all know it’s easy. It’s super easy. But lethargy or laziness or just procrastination is what keeps us away. It’s so easy, and it’s that 15, 20, 30 minutes of getting ready to go to the gym that keeps us away. But once we are at the gym, it’s so easy.
I have stories I can tell you on things that I’ve done that I could never have thought possible. The biggest one that I am very proud of is smoking. I used to smoke about almost a packet and a half a day. Before my feet would touch the ground in the morning, I would have smoked a cigarette or two. I couldn’t go to the bathroom without smoking. I just had to smoke. And one day I quit. I quit cold turkey. Everyone in my family thought I was joking, but I quit. It’s been nine-plus years. This coming March 2027, it’ll be 10 years. I haven’t puffed, I haven’t touched, I haven’t vaped. I’ve done zero smoking. And when I quit cold turkey, there were no patches, no progression. No, it was cold turkey, 100%. And when I was smoking, this was an impossible thing. “Oh my God, I can’t quit smoking. No, man, I love the pleasure of it.” Yes, it was tough, I’m not going to lie, but it’s been 9-plus years, 10 years now. Now I can’t even stand the smell of smoke, let alone smoking myself. It’s so disgusting. And I was thinking that I’ve been doing this thing for 33 and a half years. Yes, I smoked for 33 and a half years.
So I tell you that you have it within yourself to do it. Just do it. Do it even if it’s in small steps, even if it’s a big step. Whatever it is, do it. I can promise you it will only get better.
I want you to very slowly take the negative thoughts out. When you think of something, like for example, when your mind is going to tell you something negative, ask yourself, “Is this a negative thought?” Yes, it is. Drop it. Change subject. Change your mind. Think of something else. Think of ice cream. Think of your favorite song or whatever it is, or whatever makes you happy. Drop the negative thought. Condition yourself for the positive, and one day surprise yourself, not anyone else, yourself, by actually doing it.
I wish you Godspeed and God’s strength.