He's not choosing easy; he's choosing smart

I loved excuses and accepted the status quo. It was easy! I thought the world owed me a living and that I could have it all by cutting corners. I didn’t take no for an answer and I thought I deserved no less. My half-ass attempt to control came to an end with the start of 2011. Hours, days, and weeks of my life were heart-wrenching moments filled with tears, doubts, and fears. I reassured myself that I was in too deep to crawl back out, so I “enjoyed” the ride while rolling in the deep. I continued to dig my hole, believing it was the easiest way out of my struggle. And it wasn’t until I was about to lose sight of the things that mattered, that I finally realized that life would only get better if I stopped “enjoying” the instant gratification of careless choices and started digging myself out of the mess I created, one smart choice at a time.  

That’s why choosing easy sucks.

When you choose easy, you complain about your weight and continue to engage in the same habits that got you to that… weight. When you choose smart, you think about what you consume and you adjust your food intake and exercise on a daily basis.

When you choose easy, you expect more of your partner than of yourself. You demand for your partner to treat you right, and you don’t hold yourself accountable for your actions. When you choose smart, you treat your partner like you want to be treated. You want your partner to be tender and loving? Become tender and loving. There’s no smarter way than to act the way you want to be treated.

When you choose easy, you say you want to do Everything! You want to travel like Christine does! Or you want to be a mom like Sarah is! Or you want a book deal like Torre has. But…you make excuses. You have no time, money, and you have a real job! You don’t have the energy to be like Sarah is. And you just couldn’t, under no possible way, follow your man on a sailboat, like Torre did. When you choose easy, excuses are the norm to your life.

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“Life rewards action…not reaction. Wait for nothing. Attack life. Don’t plan for death or ask for permission… but act now..and apologise later.” – Kekich credo

You don’t have to be a whiz to know that these two words originate from different planets, places within us, and Latin Roots. Proactive means before/forward action and Reactive means backward/repetitive action.

Putting the definitions aside, don’t these words sound different to you? Proactive sounds fresh and strong; Reactive sounds weak; it comes in second place, at best.

You might think it’s impossible to be proactive about everything. Life isn’t a straight arrow where you can plan for every curve, bump, and explosion. I agree; you can’t. Some people get cancer and that requires adjustments, treatments, thoughts, prayers, and love. You can still find ways to be proactive about cancer; like using an ukulele to announce you have boob cancer.

Maybe you think you can’t be proactive about changing your lifestyle… because what would your friends and family think? I say, stop giving a damn. Tell your colleagues you screwed the MBA for the MFA; stand up for what you think is right; own up to your mistakes proudly; and try really hard to align your professional and personal life. If you think you can’t; think again. You can. 

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“For many people, an excuse is better than an achievement because an achievement, no matter how great, leaves you having to prove yourself again in the future but an excuse can last for life.” – Eric Hoffer

There is no such thing as “just a little theft” or “just a little dishonesty.”

If you think short-term, you can justify anything. It’s okay to be lazy at your job, because you’ll find a new one soon. It’s okay to cheat on your boyfriend/girlfriend, because you’re going to break up with them. Racking up debt is no biggie, because you deserve a vacation. Forgetting that love withers like trees do at winter isn’t major, because spring always comes again. Coasting is cool, because you worked so hard for that goal to nowhere. Believing that life owes you a living is normal, because you know your place in this world. Short-term, you can do all this and be more than fine.

But if you think about your life long-term, you can’t strive for betterment while being off-kilter. If you’re lazy at work, you’ll get fired or stagnate. If you’re cheating customers, you won’t grow professionally. If you’re not committed and present to your partner, you won’t be fulfilled emotionally. If you’re racking up debt, you’re living outside your means. If you think life owes you a better job, a more exciting partner, or a bigger house, you’ll be disappointed. If you think happiness can be found out there, your emotional compass is broken.

So own up to the areas of your life that need some lovin’. Start now; today. Unite every aspect of your life and work, give, smile a little more, and shop, expect, and fight a little less…and love unconditionally. Because Maybes and Half-Sos don’t exist.

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