Do Not Settle I Beg You

Is life passing you by? Do you feel, deep down inside, that there has to be something more, something better, to live for?

HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT THAT IF YOU HAD MORE CONTROL OVER YOUR LIFE, IT WOULD BE FAR MORE EXCITING TO LIVE IT? Being able to extract what you want from ANY situation, no matter how tough, is the real measure of success. How to meet life on its own terms, not just dreamland.

Do you believe that the most important thing in life is not about fame, sex, good looks or wealth; it’s about living the best life you are capable of? If so, I have a message you may be interested in.

Success isn’t about getting rich, climbing to the top of the corporate tree, getting famous, making yourself over to look like a movie star or finding the right relationship. Those are just tricks used to sell you products on TV and on the Internet. IT’S ABOUT LIVING THE BEST LIFE POSSIBLE.

It’s about transforming yourself to be the best a human being you can be! Ask yourself: what will be left in the world when you’re gone that you will be proud to have created?

You will have heard this (over and over): the formula for success (usually “instant” success) is work hard, pull a few stunts, shuck some suckers and get really rich. Thing is: IT ISN’T WORKING! Millions are striving at it. Yet the number of people who have succeeded using this formula you can count on your fingers: Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, Steve Jobs, Richard Branson, Bill Gates… That’s not enough to sustain a village, never mind a planet!

Instead, think of your life in another way: How do you want to be remembered? Just as a nice person who others were glad to know and felt lucky to have had you in their life? I mean, what’s so wrong with that as a lifetime outcome? It’s inspiring!

You have to be aware that people who are pushing riches and wealth as the ultimate life model are those who WANT YOUR MONEY for their plan, which is to get rich! They can teach you NOTHING about living your best life possible, because they are not on that path. Hey, most of these dudes (and some are women too) don’t care about living a good life or being nice to others, never mind that they have something to teach.

Thing is, we all know: life is sometimes going to hit you over the head with a brickbat. It’ll hurt. But you mustn’t let setbacks color your view of life. It isn’t all about setbacks. Good things will arrive too. You must be ready.

In the words of Steve Jobs, no less, you’ve got to find what you love. That’s how your life will sing! It’s as true for work as it is for lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life and the only way to be really satisfied is to do what you believe is great work and the only way to do great work is to LOVE what you do. [Stanford University Commencement Speech, 2005]

Importantly, Jobs added that if you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. DON’T SETTLE. Settling is a tragedy that most people fall into. Keep looking and, as with all matters of the heart, you’ll know it when you find it.