Do you ever have those days when everything went wrong? You keep getting kicked in the face. I’m not talking about just having a bad day. I’m talking about having one of those days where you just feel like giving up. You wonder why you’re working this hard when nothing good comes of it. I know because I’ve been having these types of days. So, I thought that we would talk about it today.
I’ve been having a couple of those days where I just want to give up. I felt mad, probably had a scowl on my face all day, and just so pissed off at the universe. Then suddenly, when I was driving down the road, I saw this van that said, “Carpe Diem,” Latin for ‘seize the day.’ This van got me thinking and eventually got me out of my funk. Carpe Diem, seize the day. It best encapsulates what I’m talking about today. This is a message that I want to relay to you.
Today, I want to talk about setting goals, overcoming disappointment, and increasing your chances for success. You must have a goal before you can experience genuine disappointment or success. Now, the goal could be a hope or a dream. And the expected outcome, depending on your age and life objectives, could be simple. You could have something as simple as wanting to date Becky.
But you could have a more significant goal, like being one of the first in your family to graduate from college or being a published writer. You might have grown up poor like me, and your goal is to break the cycle of poverty and oppression. With these goals, you won’t let anything stand in your way, including society, social class, or anything else. You will determine your future success, and that’s your goal.
As we age and experience life, we’ll reach some goals. Some goals we thought were very important at the time may ultimately change and fade as our perspectives change. But goals are specific to you. You are the only one who can determine what will lead to your success and happiness.
Ultimately, life is about happiness. Our dreams, goals, hopes, and plans get us up in the morning and keep us working hard. That’s why we don’t take ‘no’ for an answer. Now, some people do take no for an answer. When the going gets tough, they stop.
Other people would rather sit back and wait for things to happen instead of going out there and making things happen for themselves. And if that’s you, that’s precisely what you will get out of life. If you put nothing in, you’ll get nothing out. You cannot sit around and just wait for things to happen. If so, you’re going to be waiting a long time.
Dream big. We can be, do, and accomplish anything we set our minds to do. We need to develop our goals, set expectations, and find a path for obtaining these goals. Only you can set your goals, and only you can accomplish them.
And, you can’t be afraid of hard work. Nothing great was ever achieved by taking the easy way out. I genuinely believe you can accomplish anything you set your mind to, but that doesn’t mean success will come easy. You will have setbacks and road bumps, too, and some days may feel like you just want to give up due to incredible disappointment.
People who succeed are the ones who brush off disappointment and frustration, pick themselves back up, and get back in the game. They don’t dwell or wallow in self-pity or the fact that they deserve something they haven’t worked for. They make things happen. As men in this new age of technology and social media, we need to take responsibility. We need to make things happen.
We have only one shot at this life, and nobody knows when their time is up. How are you going to live your life?
- Are you going to live and just let life pass you by?
- Are you going to react to things that come in and out of your life?
- Or are you going to Carpe Diem, seize the day? Are you going to be in control of your success and destiny ultimately?
I don’t know about you, but my goal is to Carpe Diem. I will seize each and every day because I don’t want to look back on my life and think that I have any regrets or missed opportunities. I will make the most of every day I am given. I may not have accomplished everything I set out to do by the end of my life, but it will not be from lack of trying. I will have just run out of time.
Remember that you’re not the only one with complicated and troublesome periods. We all must keep pressing forward when we feel like giving up because times can be tough and discouraging. And when things don’t seem like they can turn around, we must believe they will. Have to trust and keep pressing forward to that ultimate success.
