Realize that There is More to Your Life
You have so much more potential than you let yourself belief. Now this is coming from me, Dustin, I cannot stress this enough for the lack of realization in most people is so tremendous. It is sad because I see this potential in people, sometimes from the moment I meet them, and I do everything in my power to help them realize and achieve it.
As a fitness instructor I would pseudo-analyze people's physique and Self-Discipline, trying to establish a baseline in my mind of where they are in their progress. This allows me to (A lot of the time, on the spot) direct them to where they need to go in their path. This doesn't just isolate into fitness either, I have gained this valuable teaching mechanic into any aspect of life. It could be the Four Pillars, it could be teaching how to build a computer, or somewhere in between. I only wish that people would just start on a path of development.
Now just because I see the potential in someone, or even you the reader, does not mean that change will happen in your life. It comes down to you making the decision that you can and WANT to #makeachange. Only then can I actually help you make progress.
You ARE NOT Perfect
That is okay! Do not fret that the perfection has eluded you. Seriously coming from a perfectionist this may even sound hypocritical, but the fact of the matter is that perfection is an illusion. Do not aim for perfection, aim for something damn near close to it! Yesterday as a matter of fact I was discussing fitness regimes with an older gentleman, about how things change and evolve as you get older. We both understood that as we age the challenge of just KEEPING up your physique, let alone improving it, doubles every so often. Perhaps every decade? This made me a little upset inside because I already work out for about and hour and half, twenty years from now it will be three hours or so! As funny as this may be, it just goes to show that despite great effort you can't make your body 100% perfect, and the sooner you accept that then the sooner you will be truly happy with yourself.
Everyone is beautiful in their own right, despite any preconceived notions, but if they feel the urge to improve themselves for any reason, then let it be known that it is perfectly okay to improve yourself. Do not have any resentment for the matter whatsoever, and most of all keep your Four Pillars strong!
Especially now! We are in the most advanced time for humanity yet! This means that we technically have never been more healthy, AND unhealthy ever. Mostly due to the overly convenience of unhealthy foods, but also the availability of healthy and nutritious foods as well.
Some people say that in the old times people didn't workout or train, but that simply isn't the case, we have always had a need for fitness whether it be the hunters of ancient times, or the factory workers of the industrial revolution. There has always been a need of being stronger, or at least more resilient. Think of the Knights training with each other for better skills, and more prudently their strength!
It does not matter who you are, there are bound to be at least one Pillar you are lacking in maintaining. If not most or all of them! For those of you reading this without knowledge of the Four Pillars Philosophy here is a brief run down. It can be said that there are Four major aspects of life: The Mind, The Body, The Spirit, and The Emotions. Each of these are a Pillar of your life, and can have dramatic impact on how you live, and on each other. Think of the Mind-Body connection for example. These Pillars have a fundamental role in serving your life to the fullest of its potential and growth.
The Difference Between Self-Development and Self-Mastery
Let us talk about the dynamic of the Self-Development of your life, and the Self-Mastery over the aspects of your life. As it was said before perfection is not something we can achieve, now much to your joy it can be said we can master our Pillars. Let us explore this because it can get a little meta when we talk about the flow of time.
Over your life your body is going to change, no matter what you do, but exercise can slow down the negative change. It can if done too much effect the joints negatively, but being wise of your movements will alleviate that point. As we age our metabolism starts to slow, no matter how good it was before, and that changes the dynamic of how you eat, and how much cardio you need to do in order to compensate for your diet. Which is where proper nutrition changes the game. Establishing strong habits the younger you are the better, waiting until you are too old to change your life is too late for the most part, but even then there are still many things we can do.
Think about learning a skill, it takes time to learn so you put it off until later on in life, like learning a language for example. Now you finally learn it when you are seventy years old, but you look back upon your life and you realized that you could have really used that skill to talk to that special someone, or made a business connection, multiple times throughout your life. That skill you waited so long to master, simply due to either laziness or "not enough time", could have really changed the course of your life multiple times. There can always be time to be made for something if you really want it. It could even be ten minutes a day, but over a year that is over three thousand minutes spent on the project. Even one month will give you three hundred to learn a new skill.
This example was meant to show you that waiting too long for something when you CAN make time for it now is a mistake. Your mastery in your life will come from learning those skills as soon as possible. The reason why this is so important is think about how that change that happens over time impacts your life. When you change and your physique may reset back to level one, or at the very least become challenging once again, do you want your SKILL LEVEL to be level one or two, or for you to be quite adept at whatever the skill may be (exercise, cooking, meditation, etc) to be as high as you can get it? Minimizing the time it takes to get that physique, diet, or habit back to the high level!
Your level progression essentially isn't a one time thing, it will happen time and time again as you age, you want your knowledge on the matter to be strong, all to progress back to the highest state as quick as possible.
How to Achieve Great Things
Establish a base level of skill in different areas, that way you are not for a loss when your diet takes into a turn, despite your exercise regime being strong, or vice versa. Create a mind challenge for yourself every week keeping the Neuro-plasticity developed, etc. Your habits will separate you from your peers simply because you will have a higher state of life than everyone else. When they see that your life is dramatically improving they may ask for your help, please aid them if you can. At the very least direct them to here.
The ambition to achieve mastery is what is going to drive you to become who you are meant to be. The thing is that you are going to be knocked down time and time again, the sooner you accept that, the sooner you will continue to make progress.
The World Around You
We live in a highly conflicted world, and the choices we make are based on that world. If we were able to improve the world around us, then our natural choices would be changed inherently. The singular best way to create this change, one that will actually last, would be to establish Self-Development tendencies in the populace. It cannot just be the richest, smartest, or most curious people who are actively chasing development in their lives. It has to reach the masses, even if it is minimal it would have to be better than this!
How the World is Impacted by Self-Development
Imagine this: If everyone took up Self-Development today, and even if it was varied in the path they chose it would have tremendous ripple effects. This would completely change how people interact, and most of all the lives of many people would simply improve due to principle. After that the compound change in people's lives would start to manifest. Then their habits would determine what products and services they purchase, then changing how business operates, then changing what sort of global environment we live in. This is actually what many large companies fear, they do not want to take even the minimal profit loss that something like this would create. Despite the fact that in the end they would be even more wealthy. Even if it is in happiness in their own individual lives that is the wealth.
Why You Should Start TODAY
Oh for the millionth time, just start! It is not going to be bad, and any fear you are feeling for some reason or another get rid of it. You have that power, it may be weak right now, but the more you do it the stronger it will get. #selfdiscipline
You cannot wait any longer, the more you waste your life idling by, the less time you have to enjoy the rare pleasures you can get out of it as a whole. Life is like a roller coaster, and you will no doubt have ups and downs, Self-Development simply makes those ups last a bit longer, and decrease the frequency of the downs.
The Basics of Self-Improvement/Development
As a child you would spend your time learning and playing, but this would soon evolve into responsibilities and pleasure. Those responsibilities are generally separated from your pleasure of life. They do not have to be, as the mindset you develop can manifest into the enjoyment of those activities that you once scorned. The workout you so desperately avoid, now becomes the adrenaline rush that fuels your life. That homework you dread? Now is the knowledge that propels you into the future you crave. That boring meditation session, now becomes the mindfulness that will keep you strong in the tough times.
Your perception is only the mindset you employ, what you "see" is based off preconceived notions in your head. Self-Development is simply the process of your life in a logical sense. What you develop in yourself will manifest in your life in some way, and what you aim to achieve.
This being said starting can be both easy as going to the gym, or as hard as crawling through a battlefield, no matter which you simply just need to start. Self-Development is what you make of it, but in order to aid people in this process the Four Pillars Philosophy was made. To simplify the ideologies of the world, and to modernize the context of your habits. The Four Pillars talks about the major parts of your life that need to be addressed, and the content we make through the U.L.C. is meant to be a guide to those part's development.
The cliff-notes of this is that development is just the process of making incremental changes in your life, overall changing your experience.
The Four Pillars Philosophy in a Nutshell
Your mental capacity, the intelligence you have, and the knowledge you collect. It all comes together as one singular brain. It is something that can be improved like muscles with deliberate practice, but needs more than just reps it needs stimulation from external sources.
It is not just lifting weights and calling it a day, in fact most people should simply start with their body for exercise. Push ups and planks can be a great way to start developing physical discipline. Other than that it comes down to your diet that will determine how your exercise will even effect your body, and consider any ailments as well.
Your spiritual understanding will have originated from what philosophy you have picked up throughout your life. Most of the time it will come with whatever religion your parents believed in as you were raised. You should never just stick to one ideology, let your soul be tempered just like anything else with new sources. Your belief can stay in that system, but at the very least open your mind to the prospects of something else. Even if that just strengthens your original resolve.
Your emotions have such a profound manipulation over your life, and many people do not even realize that, let alone make any change on the matter. Realizing how you feel, and more importantly WHY you feel something, will give you such a new view on everything.
Why This Philosophy was Created for YOU
It cannot be said how much this CAN impact your life, but one theme that is going to be said a lot is that YOU have to decide to let it impact you. It doesn't matter who you are, you can improve your life, and I personally have seen many people on both sides. People who have made that change and are happy because of it, and many people who have yet to do anything with their life even at an old age. They regret greatly, or worse are ignorant of the fact that they haven't done anything substantial. Now listen not everyone is meant to be a big deal, some are just meant to be support of the high rollers, but who is to say that you are not one of those people, if not you?
If that isn't who you are then find someone to support on their journey, but if you have even an ounce of ambition then follow it to the very last spark. That spark is your life, let it be a raging fire!
How to Apply this to YOUR life
Listen you can take this information and grow as a person, or you can ignore it and stay stagnant. What you do is not going to change the world, unless you decide you can. This is your life, and this post is just one event happening in your story. You can choose to make it into the most pivotal life-changing moment, or just some nice idea that makes you smile/nostalgic. I implore you to make it a life-changing moment, but only you can choose that path.
You can use this as a method of motivation to change, run to your goals, and make your life better. Some may say oh my life is great, okay but what about in a year? In ten years? Or better yet 50 years? This is the point needing to be made, your life is going to change no matter what, and it can be in a year, or it can take decades. Choose to #makeachange and your life will progress much quicker, and the process of living that much better. Everything you want to experience, you may not get a chance, or if you do you won't have the time.
Change the World, by First Changing Yourself!
You can change the world! "Be the change you wish to see in the world" You can literally become the manifestation of whatever you dream up to be, and the process of doing that is not some Law of Attraction, but the actions you take towards that goal. If your goal is minor in comparison then so be it, but if nothing can come close to it due to it's grandeur then the more power to you.
You can accomplish whatever you set out to achieve, but you have to go for it with all the might you can muster. I created the U.L.C. as a manifestation of my dream of changing the world. A physical representation of "change and innovation", this will be the catalyst for the world's rise to a new era. Self-Development is the key to developing that Might you need!
What is your dream going to create?