I promised myself not to hurt myself with harmful thoughts, but I’m not sure if this counts as one. I just want to see it as a painful truth.
The math is pretty simple. If you put in 1, you get 1. If you put in 5, you get 5. For some reason, people are hardwired to expect 10 or more when they put in 5.
I understand that hoping is part of human nature – it’s the major drive that keeps us going. But we also need to admit and accept the reality of what we actually put in versus what we hope to get.
This morning, I felt like my body was so stiff because I hadn’t gone to the gym or gone running in over 3 days. So, despite the fact that it was -3 degree Celsius outside, I went for a run.
While running, I felt lighter in my knees and hamstrings. It was relatively easier to run, and I figured that it was simply because I had done a lower body workout a few days ago, and that little bit of effort had helped.
It is so simple and natural to get what you expect when you’ve put in a decent amount of effort. But at that moment, I realized this: I’ve been wanting more than I’ve earned.
Last week, I started my own Youtube channel and posted more than 10 videos. In the process, I kind of hoped for a jackpot. I even convinced myself that I deserved one simply because I started posting videos, which is the hardest part for many people. I told myself I deserved it because I’d been through so much in the past few months, I had never had any real luck in my life, and so on. See where I was going?
If I truly want subscribers and views, I have to keep making and posting videos for at least 6 months or more. If I want a sound body, mind, and maybe a ripped physique, I need to exercise and read consistently for at least a year.
I’d like to think of it as a contract: you only get what you signed up for, and only when you complete what you agreed to. You don’t get paid extra just because you behave well last month. No one expects a raise just because they were really stressed about work. That’s simply not what you signed up for.
Thinking of it as a contract makes me feel simpler, lighter, and clearer. It’s a good way to shush my complaints.
Whenever I catch myself dreaming about getting too much for too little, this is going to be my wake-up call: Stop complaining and get yourself to do whatever you have to do already!
