The great ones know adversity never goes away, but choose GO anyway.
“After 30, there is always something.
I think knowing & accepting this is the secret.
Instead of waiting for things to be optimal, understand some sort of adversity is always going to be present.
Choose GO, anyway.
It’s how you build the resilence that is required to win.”
-Ray Zingler on X
I remember being younger and dealing with some sort of adversity.
A breakup with a girlfriend, not having something go the way I wanted it to, a (horrendous) bout with anxiety, or a pec tear, I dealt with stuff, just like everybody else.
The fact though was that, once these things were conquered, there were periods of time that were absent of adversity.
Smooth sailing, if you will.
But then, into my mid 20’s, closing in on a decade of owning my own business, it seemed like those smooth sailing periods were getting shorter and shorter. It was one thing after another, like they say.
And, like a young man still growing and maturing, I’d get pissed off about these “life inevitabilities” I wasn’t yet conditioned to.
And with my deep desire to mitigate these bouts of adversity in tow, I simultaneously increased my stress levels and stopped sleeping well, only to fuel the exact problems I was trying to overcome.
Talk about a hell of a cycle!
Fast forward to 30, you’re married, a kid on the ground, another on the way (3 incredible ones now), 3 businesses, 3 houses, 3 mortgages, tenants, dogs, chickens, cats, and on and on and on.
And then it dawned on me. I had an epiphany.
“I’m fairly certain the adversity never goes away at this point, I think it’s always present. Maybe the answer isn’t to remove it, but to learn to THRIVE during it’s inevitable presence.”
And I think this is precisely why most people never accomplish anything of significance. The stronghold of adversity, they are hoping and wishing to go away has them chained to mediocrity.
This is when I understood the quote, “the truth is every man dies, but not every man lives.”
There is always going to be a nagging injury.
A kid coming down with or overcoming a bug.
The house is going to need some sort of maintenance.
The unexpected expense you’re currently dealing with pales in comparison to the one lurking behind it.
You’re going to be tired. Exhausted. It’s going to feel impossible.
This is when you know the devil’s got you right where he wants you.
Choose GO anyway.
It’s the only choice that carries any value.
