Becoming Built To Last

At the current time of writing this, we are in essentially a world wide lockdown. The age of self-quarantine. It’s been an absolute trip to experience. Although I am only 31 and this is essentially my first potential crash I am dealing with while being in the working class, it feels different. This fact has been validating by people I have talked to that are up to 50 years my senior. They state this one does feel different. Almost inhumane.

During times like this, we really have two choices. We can retreat into a state of mediocrity. Which is the most socially supported option and go to mechanism during trivial times.

Or we can use the shitty times to rise up and be triumphant. This is a time where competition shrinks. In a Instagram world where fake is the new norm, times like this reveal you to yourself. You are alone with yourself now for vast quantities of time.

And you can either choose to self reflect. Or you can choose to go into denial mode. Seek first the kingdom within in a Biblical teaching that talks about how we need to seek happiness within. I am in no way promoting or pushing the Bible here. And yet this verse, in it’s basic form, is sharing with us that we need to look in the mirror. We need to began to know thy self.

Of course this is not an easy practice. As most of us, me included, have been running from the real us. It is too painful to look at. There are too many things we don’t like about ourself. That if we never look at them dead in the eye, then maybe the will disappear. Or we can bury them so damn deep, that they will cease to continue to pop up in our conscious mind ever again.

Either one is a self destructive process and keeps you sporting a fixed mindset. And wherever you go, there you are. You take YOU everywhere you go.

Guide: Fixed Minset vs Growth Mindset (27 Growth Mindset Traits)

And right now, for the first time ever, you can do some extremely honest introspection with your life.

Take one area of our life at a time that you aren’t satisfied with and list out limiting beliefs that you have adopted around these areas of life. Journal out painful moments. Let go of the past.

Guide: How To Get Rid of Limiting Beliefs 

This is the first step to becoming built to last. A sort of self exorcism of your false self. Dying to thyself. Essentially what many have referred to as the Dark Night of the Soul. An upheaving of the false personality.

As this personality is similar to what is seen in the Matrix. It is a veil of lies we have told ourselves. Why we can’t be something or do something. These are limiting beliefs that WE have adopted. And we have believed them so long that we start to feel as if they are real!

So first things first, realize that all these sets of beliefs that we have adopted, are NOT real.

For example, lets say a coach told you that you would never amount to anything. And let’s say you really admired that coach, but you admired me, Coach Chris a lot more. And I saw this incident and came up to you and shared with you that your coach had someone tell him that in her life. And that he is simply reflecting the things that have happened to you. And then I told you I believed in you and KNOW that you can be anything you set your mind to.

Because your admiration for me outweighed your admiration for your coach, you believe me over your coach. And your whole life shifted because of it.

WE ARE OUR BELIEFS. We are slaves to these beliefs. So why not master them and make them our slaves. Adopt beneficial beliefs that we can use to reinforce this new us. That strengths our belief in ourselves. Creates a better character. Lives out better core values. And becomes the person we always wanted to be?

This simple exercise can let you see the truth in matters like this. You can simply replace me with someone you really admire. Telling you in your mental movie a positive and empowering statement over the negative or harming belief that was placed on you.

Become Built To Last With These 7 Tips

OK so that rant is over. I was going off and didn’t want to stop. The rest of the article will offer you 5 different tips to create a new you. One that is BUILT to LAST. One where you will thrive in the good times and flourish in the rough times.

Know your WHY.

It is said that if you know your why for living, you can endure almost any how. So true. A small why will make you give up when times get tough. But a big why will PULL you through. Notice how I didn’t say PUSH. A big enough why has power of it’s own. It pushes you from behind once you get enough momentum.

Stick to A Daily Schedule

I read a book called The One Thing. Which many of you may know, I am a realtor and it was written by the leader of my Company Mr. Gary Keller. Gary talks about how it takes 66 days to form a new habit. I’ve heard anything from 21-300+. But no matter what the number is, the more you do something consistently, the better you get at it. The key here is sticking to it. No matter how you feel. We need to get getting up and getting after it. Especially right now as I write this with the Corona Virus. A time where we have the option to literally sit on our ass all day without any repercussions. We can’t go to work. We can’t go to the gym. We can’t even go on hikes. This is the time where we must stick to the exact same schedule as before. I suggest even starting earlier. So say you usually get up at 8. Well now your competition is getting up at probably 9 now. You get up at 7 or 7:30.

Keep brushing your teeth. Keep exercising. Which with no gyms, either get some weights, or go for a run and do body weight exercises.

Do things as if your life was exactly how you wanted it to be. And soon it will be. And you will be ready to smoke it when you get back on top. When things normalize, you will be ready to get shot back in the game like you are being shot out of a cannon.

Adopt Habits That Create Mental Resiliency 

Meditate – A quiet mind knows how to deal with fear a lot better than one that is full of chatter. If you don’t know how to meditate or need help bettering your practices, I have two resources for you below:

Also a simple one is to listen and feel the beat of your heart. This powerful organ that you have no conscious responsibility for controlling. Yet it keeps you alive and beats thousands of times per day on autopilot. And while you are feeling your heart, give thanks on how it has guided you throughout your life. Then thinking of 3 things your are grateful for in your life right now. Don’t just think of them though, FEEL them. Deeply. Truly experience them.

I guarantee that any fear or stress you were feeling before will be obliterated.

Resource: How To Meditate (For Beginners)

Guide: 31 Tips For Better Mediation Practice (Practical Tricks)

Lift Weights – Your body is your subconscious mind. When you put it into action, the conscious mind responds. When we are in fear, we are using our body fearfully. When we are anxious, or body is an an anxious position.

When we workout, we are putting our body into action. You cannot be scared when you are working out. As you are using your body in a powerful way. Power trumps fear any day.

Read – Readers are leaders. And if we are going to become built to last, we need to be the leaders of our own lives. If you need some good books to put on your reading list, I have your back:

Resource: Best Personal Development Books Ever Written (Ultimate List)

Realize Tough Times DO NOT Last

As I write this, we are in the second longest bull market of all time. Which if you aren’t familiar with the term, it is essentially when the market is on the rise for an extended period of time.

But what goes up, must come down. And thus is life. Sometimes we are up and sometimes we are down. But this too shall pass.

Stay even keel. When people are freaking out, you stay calm. When people are selling, you buy. Most of the population is so ridden with fear and doubt that you can witness the masses. Then act opposite. As the masses are in a hypnotic spell. Being driven by outside forces and beliefs that do not have any benefit to their health, wealth and happiness. Pawns essentially.

But we don’t have to buy into what society wants us to act like. We can rise above and CHOOSE the steps we take. Just be conscious of what is going on around you then act accordingly.

Every single crash in life, whether it is the market, or hitting rock bottom in ones personal life, has brought with it the belief that this will last FOREVER.

But going back to the market, the market ALWAYS recovers. I am sure you can think of a time in your life where something horrific happened. And you thought that it was the end of you. That you would never be the same. But I bet you not only got over and passed it, but you were better for it.

This is how life is. Carry with you the knowledge that tough times do pass. And like the market, every single crash has brought with it a recovery that was better than the good times before the crash. At least that is the case with the United States.

Choose The RIGHT People

The title of this post is Built to Last which keeps coming up in the book I am reading now by Jim Collins called Good to Great. The biggest take away I can give you from this book is that the people you roll with matter. They have been the difference of companies going from good to great. Having the RIGHT people.

We can do the exact same thing. As we do become like the people we hang out with.

We need to assemble an absolute unit of a team. That is going to be self-growth oriented. Positive. And up-lifting. If they don’t fit these qualities, sorry but they have to go. This shit is too serious to mess around with.

By doing this, your life can go from GOOD to GREAT.

Acknowledge GRACE Into Your Life

What you focus on expands. The more gratitude you give, the more you have to give gratitude for. Tony Robbins talks about this. How there are events in our life that happened that we had no part in orchestrating.

Call it God, the universe, fate. Something big is at play that we can’t quite see, but I feel as if we all know is there. And again, the more we acknowledge and give thanks for these strange happenings, the more they will come into our life.

Give Back – Contribution is the final piece of the puzzle that ties in a fulfilling life. It is said that when you feel helpless, become helpful. You get out of yourself. And when we get out of ourselves, we get out of our problems. We also realize that we are not in this alone. Other people have problems too. And when we focus on other peoples problems, our problems become smaller.

Become purpose driven in some area of your life that you are passionate about. And channel your giving through that. I promise it will bring you more fulfillment than you could ever imagine.

It will give you a sense of meaning so deep, that you will feel the vines coming off your legacy. Digging themselves deep into the ground. Which you the tree will grow to an extent that you never could if you just focused on self-fulfillment.

And best yet, givers gain. It is talked about how when we give, it comes back to us ten fold. Isn’t is strange how the people that give the most, HAVE the most. Food for thought for you and me.

I hope you enjoyed the article. I would love your expertise and advice on the topic of how to become built to last.

Chat with you in the comment section below my friends!

 

With gratitude,

Chris