Take a moment and think about the various areas of your life. How are your relationships? Your finances? Your health? Where is your career heading? Are you happy with where you’re at? Are you excited for your future?
If you’re not currently satisfied… what happened? Did you wake up with your relationships in shambles? Was 20 pounds of extra weight glued to you while you were asleep? Did your career take a tumble while you were napping?
Without trying to sound particularly harsh, it’s likely you would admit the declines in your life occurred over a long time while you sat back and let it happen.
The reality is, we all fall victim of the slow decline. Luckily however, the slow decline is simple to overcome with a little bit of effort up front.
A Sad Reality
A few months ago, I stepped on the scale and it read 184 pounds. That might not seem much to you, but at 5’10 that puts me in the category of overweight. Three years ago I was sitting at a respectable 150. Oh how quickly three years pass!
In high school, like most of my cross country teammates, I was as skinny as they come. My abs were defined and I could run forever with little effort. I felt great.
I took great pride in staying lean and in shape. Admittedly, being “ripped” isn’t the most important thing in life, but it does go long way. Three years ago my health was at it’s peak. Then “it” happened.
I moved to Shanghai. I stopped running. I let my eating habits slip. Three years later I went from ridiculously skinny to overweight. What the hell happened? Where did I go?
The truth is, I didn’t become overweight because of single instance. I didn’t become overweight because I partied hard one weekend. I become overweight because I coasted, and lost sight of what it means to act like a healthy individual. I settled.
Here’s the thing. Most people settle. Most people are more than happy to succumb to the power of autopilot. I know because of much of my life I’ve been “most people.”
Stepping up on the scale really opened up my eyes to how quickly life can get away from us if we don’t take time to notice where we are heading.
Are you ignoring the signs of struggle in your relationships? Are you running away from your problems at work? Remaining ignorant to the areas that need your attention most amplify the amount of work that is later needed. So why wait? Today is the best tomorrow.
Building Awareness
In the very beginning of the article I said that defeating the slow decline was simple. But please don’t mistake simple with effortless.
The secret to defeating slow decline is quite easy to implement, but only if you’re committed to putting in the work.
The most effective way to defeat slow decline is to become aware of where you’re heading, become aware of where you’re at. All too often we put our life on autopilot only to be upset with the results later.
- To lose weight you generally must eat less and exercise.
- To become financially independent you have to earn more than you spend.
- To keep your relationships healthy you must put in the work and communicate.
- To have a great career you must work hard and provide value.
Despite these incredibly simple premisses most of us struggle in these areas. Why? Because we forget that all great things require work. Becoming aware is a start.
Having a strong awareness of is a powerful asset to have. It’s invaluable in creating the life that you desire. Having awareness helps you grow as an individual and overcome all that stands in your way.
Becoming aware of your actions, habits, and thoughts isn’t always pleasant but it does leave you with the opportunity to push forward and make today better than yesterday.
Defeating The Slow Decline
There will always be ways to improve every area of your life. Perfection isn’t the pursuit. But at the very least, you should hold your head high knowing that you’re doing the best with what you have.
For three years I ignored my declining health and I paid the price. It wasn’t until I become aware that I began taking the steps to change.
Instead of running away from certain areas of your life, become aware of them. Own them. Because only then can you start chipping away to create the person you want to be.
What areas of your life can you bring more awareness to? What areas need more attention? Will you turn your back on reality? Or acknowledge that you have work to do? Better yet does your future self agree?
Get to work.
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Hey Bud My life has changed so much over the last 6 months/ 1 year, ever since I switched my autopilot off. I see many people close to me still on auto pilot and It reminds me why I will forever stay aware of myself and my situation. Dom
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