We all know we need to work on ourselves. It’s common knowledge but not always common practice. It’s important to understand WHY we need to work on ourselves and WHY we often don’t.  Jim Rohn the famous entrepreneur, author and motivational speaker has a great quote about why we should… 

“Your level of success will rarely exceed your level of personal development, because success is something you attract by the person you become.”

If it’s true that our success will not exceed our personal growth then our success in life is dependent on the work we do on our foundation.  It’s dependent on the energy, attention and focus we put into our inner world and our inner world will create more success and a fulfilling life experience in our outer world.  What’s more important than that?

Just imagine what your life would be like if you had a strong solid foundation. By foundation I mean the 6 pillars of our personal life.  

• Our health and fitness 
• Our emotional resilience 
• Our mindset 
• Our character traits and values 
• Our religion or spiritual connection 
• And who we show up as in the world 

Imagine what life would look like if you were in the best shape of your life physically, mentally and emotionally.  If you felt great in your own skin and loved your body.  If you had all the energy you desired.  Imagine what it would be like if you felt incredibly emotionally resilient.  You never got triggered at small things or even at big things. If you felt like nothing could rattle your cage. If you felt unshakable at your core. If you had the mindset of a monk – calm and peaceful all the time. If you longed for nothing more and your character traits and values supported those desires. Imagine what life would look like if you did all that you said you would do. If your habits were designed to fuel your life in powerful positive ways.  And most importantly, if you were showing up in the world for yourself, for your family, for the people you love as your best and highest self. And you were happy… truly, deeply, unwaveringly happy no matter what your circumstances.

That’s what working on ourselves can do for us. But here’s the thing….

We don’t do it. We certainly don’t do it daily.  We don’t give it the energy, attention and focus it needs.   Why don’t we?  Because we’re waiting. We’re waiting until things get worse. We’re waiting until the shit hits the fan so to speak.  Until tragedy strikes. Until things get really, really hard. Until we just can’t bear it anymore.  

Well guess what? Life is always going to throw us challenges. It’s always really hard. Tragedy will strike and we won’t be ready for it.  We need to work on ourselves when things are good. We need to do the inner work DAILY so we can stay ahead of the game. So we can be prepared for the challenges and the curveballs that life can and will throw our way.  

We all want a life that’s successful and fulfilling.  We have to do the work now.  We can’t wait for tragedy to strike or for things to be perfect.  We have the power to shape our outer world when we focus on our inner world.  

Isn’t that dream life worth it?  All that you pictured you can have when you work on your solid foundation, isn’t that juicy enough?  It should be.  We need to work on ourselves like our life depends on it.  Because it does.  And we deserve it.  And our family deserves it. 

“Life is amazing. And then it’s awful. And then it’s amazing again. And in between the amazing and awful it’s ordinary and mundane and routine. Breathe in the amazing, hold on through the awful, and relax and exhale during the ordinary. That’s just living a heartbreaking, soul-healing, amazing, awful, ordinary life. And it’s breathtakingly beautiful.” 

― L.R. Knost

We do the work on ourselves so we can be our best selves.  And it’s so worth it.