Move out of your comfort zone. You can only grow if you are willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when you try something new.
– Brian Tracy
Momentum snowballs
“You’re still young. Enjoy life a little. Life is about balance. You only live once #YOLO” (not necessarily true by the way).
I’ve heard these statements plenty of times all throughout my twenties and chances are, so have you.
The people who make these statements have mistakenly linked being comfortable and doing useless or even potentially self-harming activities with having fun (think of overconsumption of alcohol or junk food, over engaging in games or movies, and spending energy on trying to fit in as some examples).
Can you never engage in any of these activities? Of course not. However, do not take these society-approved actions/statements as reasons to hold back on the things that matter the most to you.
Put the activities in your life into these 3 different categories:
Primary: These key activities move the needle towards your greater vision in life. It is safe to say that they will be and remain in of your life, most likely forever.
Secondary: Secondaries are a testing ground for gauging whether they are a good fit for you, or not.
Tertiary: Tertiary activities are done solely out of boredom/anxiety. They result in a net negative as they do not move your life towards your desired vision at all.
A good rule of thumb is to spend about 80% of your time on primary activities, 15% of your time on secondaries and 5% on tertiaries. This is a not too daunting, yet solid way of thinking about having balance between continuously striving for progress, yet not making your entire existence about being productive.
Now here’s the thing you must understand.
The potentially self-harming activities may be comfortable at moments in time, yet numb you and leave you drained afterwards.
The activities you want to progress in (for example exercising, building meaningful relationship, growing a business, etc) may feel uncomfortable when you start, but will energize you once you’re doing them.
Whenever you spend too much time on things that do not move the needle, realize that the thing you are sacrificing (besides precious time) is your greater vision.
Moving forward, ask yourself this after you engage in any activity: “Was it worth it?
Because if it’s true that you only live once, you best make the actions in your life count.
