Success: The long game
There has never been a time in my life when I wasn’t trying to change my behavioral patterns. There has always been a bad habit or two – a lot more than two actually- that I’ve wanted to get rid of. So far, I’ve had mixed success; I’ve gotten rid of a few, and managed to tone some others down. The rest however, still kick my butt on a regular, and then there are the relapses brought on by random moments of pure, irrational self-sabotage lol.
Moving on, Sunday morning in the bathroom, I was reviewing my week and, in the process, had a shower thought: behavioral change is a long term (lifetime in fact) process. Actually, this thought was less of a realization, and more of a remembrance. Of course, this statement isn’t universal and the type of behavior you’re trying to change plays a part in the transformation duration, still, I’ve noticed that image shattering, ground breaking and long-lasting change happens in gradual, non-linear stages.
It’s easy to think you aren’t making progress; a quick scroll through your Instagram feed will have you comparing yourself to the woman who has a good job, perfect family, and is in terrific shape. We’re the generation that was born in the “age of convenience”; we’ve unconsciously cultivated this belief that everything should happen in a timely and straightforward manner. It has made us take progress, and growth for granted, and it has made us ignore all the progress we’ve made as individuals. This isn’t a call to blow your horn, or dwell on past glories, but sometimes, you need to remember all the things you’ve made it through to be able to persevere through your current struggles. Sometimes, need to ignore the progress of those around you and just focus on your grind.
Success is a long-term thing, making money might be a sign of success, but it isn’t success, money comes and goes, empires fall, but you, the person, remains. Focus on the long game, make short term plans, but focus on the long game, it’s the only game that really counts.
