I don’t go out much. I don’t spend a lot of time with my friends. I only have a handful of close friends anyway. Most of them are related to me somehow. You get older. Your circle of friends gets smaller. Watch out if it gets bigger. They’re probably not all friends. You will have many friendly’s. Friendly’s are fine. They’re not friends though. Friends are people you’re exposed to. Make sure you know the difference.
I work a lot. Many of those times I’d rather be at home alone with my wife. My kids want to be there too for some unknown reason. I haven’t quite yet figured out their intentions. Maybe they’ve conspired in secret to drive us mad. The baby must be the mastermind. No one would suspect her.
I do work a lot though. My wife wants things. I want to give her things. I want her life to be better. My kids want things. My kids need things. I want to be able to give them what they need. So, I go to work. A lot.
Sacrifice. That is how success is won. There is one thing that determines success. Discipline.
I’m not interested in hearing a motivational speech. Or a motivational speech by any other name. Like “empowerment”. Nobody loses 20 pounds because they were motivated to do so. Nobody saves $10,000 because they felt empowered. You reach your goals because of 1 thing. You reach your goals because of 1 thing only. You discipline yourself. Motivation is thin. Discipline is deep.
Here’s where I struggle. Food that is in front of me. If I don’t have it, it’s not an issue. Particularly french fries or any manner of chocolate. I’m not overweight. But I want to live be a healthy and good looking 40, 50, 60, and 70. President Obama is 54. Denzel Washington and Dennis Haysbert are both 60 plus. #BlackManGoals.
I don’t want back problems. I don’t want colon problems. Each are direct reflections of what I eat.
I want my money to grow. I can’t be buying every new pair of Jordan’s. I can’t eat at Longhorn twice a week.
I want to be smarter. I can’t watch hours of TV everyday. I must buy books and read them. We’d all be much better off if we actually read all the books we Instagrammed.
I want my business to grow. I have to work at it.
Every human should know this microeconomics term: Opportunity Cost.
It means for every fried piece of chicken I eat, I can’t lose a calorie I otherwise could have.
It means for every dollar I spend on cable TV, I can’t spend that dollar traveling to a new city.
It means for every Friday night I spend hanging out, I can’t spend that Friday night building my company.
It also means for every hour I spend at work, I can’t spend that hour with my family.
Make the best choice. The best choice might be the fried chicken today. The best choice might be the loss calorie tomorrow.