According to a recent study around two-thirds of what gets posted on social media is made up. This recent British study found that a large portion of people surveyed said they posted false images to their profiles to make their life seem more interesting.
It is all too easy to compare yourself to others. This comparison may make you feel better, or worse about yourself. Of course, comparisons are fraught with danger because what you see on the surface is never what it seems.
I always remember hearing Steven Bradbury speak many years ago. He was the speed skater who famously won an Olympic gold medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics. He was in the final of the 1000 metre speed skating and he won because everyone else in the final fell over. It was literally a case of ‘last man standing’.
When he won, he was touted by the media as lucky and an overnight success. But what the media failed to report on was the years of struggle, sacrifice and hard work that had gone in to getting him to that point.
Success hadn’t come easily. It never does.
If you talk to people who have generated success they will tell you that their success is the result of hard work, experimentation, failure and resilience. They have an idea, passion or a dream that they want to pursue, and they set out to achieve it.
They’re not afraid of working hard to reach their goal, and they know that they will encounter challenges and set-backs. This doesn’t mean they don’t have doubt or fears, but they use those emotions to propel them forward – not hold them back.
Above all else, they are incredibly resilient. They understand that it can be two steps forward, and one step backward. Ultimately, every step they take is heading them in the right direction.
What’s the change you wish to pursue? What’s the passion in your life? What’s stopping you from taking hold of it right now?
As you ponder these questions, think about how you can move forward with change so you can:
- Open yourself to the experience
- Surround yourself with people who will support you
- Have the courage to follow your dream, and the perseverance to continue through when setbacks hit
- Be willing to make mistakes and learn from those mistakes
- Create space in your day to give yourself the time to think and act on your ideas
- Construct a lifestyle that supports your ability to pursue your idea
- Prepare yourself for the hard work that will follow
As Biz Stone, the co-founder of Twitter said: “Timing, perseverance, and ten years of trying will eventually make you look like an overnight success.”
Change happens. Make it work for you.