Ambitious but Lazy? Read this.
How to achieve what everyone else won’t.
Growing up, everyone else’s feed was full of memes and models. Mine was filled with fitness and entrepreneurship. But I still spent most of the day scrolling, gaming, and watching TV shows.
I wanted to get in shape and do something—become someone. But I kept telling myself I didn’t have time. I was too tired, or I just didn’t feel like it. Sometimes I’d feel motivated. I’d start for a week, a month, or even a year. But when results didn’t come fast enough, I quit.
I still believed in my dreams, but my actions said otherwise. I’m not where I want to be. Yet. But now, I’m the type of guy who will get there. I’ll keep going no matter what.
That’s what you need to understand: Your habits decide where you go in life. Outcome follows action. And action follows thought. It all comes down to how you think. That’s what this article is about.
Self-Pity Thinking
Most people’s lives are full of problems. Mario Andretti said: “Don’t look at the wall. Your car goes where your eyes go.” That’s why most people keep crashing into walls. I’m not one of those manifestation gurus though. Thinking positively and waiting for your dreams to come isn’t enough. That’s not how life works. You have to see reality for what it is: obstacles are opportunities. For some. For others, obstacles become the end. They think life should be easy. They set big goals and when it gets tough, they quit. Then they get bitter. All they do is complain. They say life isn’t fair. They blame the struggle when they should be blaming themselves. That type of person never learns their lesson. They never grow as a person. So they never get to wherever they want to go.
Understand that life is full of obstacles. Avoiding one obstacle will only lead you to another. There is no easy way. So you have to confront challenges head on. See struggle as a sign of progress. Take accountability for whatever happens. And don’t complain. There’s no benefit in doing so. You’ll end up attracting other compainers. People you don’t want to be around. People that will keep you down. And it’s not productive. It’ll take the weight off you shoulders. But it doesn’t solve anything. You’re still stuck in the same position, just with less drive to change.
Wishful Thinking
Most people want results they don’t deserve—rewards without the work. They think they can keep doing the same things and get different results. They want the tree without planting the seed. It doesn’t make any sense. They use lucky numbers and horoscopes to create the illusion of progress. They live in dreams. They imagine being impressive and doing impressive things. They talk about it, say it with conviction, but that’s where it ends.
I’m not saying don’t dream. Creating a vision is important. It gives you direction—a target to hit. But it must be paired with effort. Sitting at the bottom of a mountain thinking you’ll get to the top won’t get you there. And you have to be strategic. We all have different skills and opportunities. What’s possible for someone else isn’t necessarily for you. And what’s possible for you isn’t for someone else. You need to assess the tools you have at your disposal. Then ask yourself if you have what it takes to build the life you want. If not, your first job is to expand your skillset and create more opportunities. And that, again, takes effort.
Short-Term Thinking
People aren’t patient. They have the potential. They make plans. But they don’t see them through. They set big goals with short deadlines and unrealistic expectations. Social media plays a big part. People claim to have overnight success—whether in fitness or business. Then they promise fast results. And you believe them. You buy into what they say. When one shortcut doesn’t work, you look for the next. But the truth is: trying to find a shortcut that works is the longest path.
Time works for those who are patient and against those who are not. Robert Greene wrote a book called Mastery. In it, he says it takes 10,000 hours to become a master at anything. So, if you worked for 4 hours a day, it would take you almost 7 years to reach the top. That’s not to say you won’t see results during that time—just not the massive jump you expect. Once you’re a master, though, that’s when you start getting results that make everyone else ask, "How?".
Overthinking
People are perfectionists. That just makes them indecisive, hesitant, and uncertain. Everything has to be thought out and planned. They can’t deal with uncertainty and face the fact that failure is a possibility. So they don’t ever start. But they don’t see that failing to act is failure in itself. I understand that some people have a lot of responsibility, so they can’t afford to take risks. But you likely don’t. All you have to lose is time and reputation.
Understand that time will pass whether you take action or not. And as I’ve heard Chris Williamson say: “By the time you’ve thought about doing the thing, you could have already done the thing.” As for your reputation, no one’s opinion should matter more than your own. You’ll respect yourself more for trying than if you never gave it a shot. And finally, trust yourself more. You don’t need to get it right from the start. Just make a decision and then figure it out.
Final Thoughts
It all comes down to your mindset and the actions that follow. You have the potential. You can make it happen—if you overcome your own mind. You must break free from patterns like wishful thinking and overthinking. All I’ve done in this article is present reality as it is. But that’s the key. When you view things objectively, outside your subjective reality, you’ll form a bridge. A bridge between what you see in your mind and what happens in real life. That is when you’ll finally reach your goals.
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