Did you die at 25?!

I’ve been talking a lot with people on the topic of growth. I heard a statistic that suggested the majority of people never read a book after they turn 25. If you went to college, think of how hard you worked. Maybe you had a fear of not passing or a fear of letting parents down who paid your tuition, but often times in college we’re more motivated to just not let someone down rather than doing something for ourselves. Maybe you feel motivated about the fact that you wanted to achieve something; that degree promised a better life or a chance to pursue a dream. You felt like there was a gap between where you were and the profession you wanted and the degree was the bridge. But people finish college, get the career going, and their growth stops there. They feel like they did their work but now, the goal is just to maintain: don’t lose the job, get the raise/bonus, don’t let down your boss…but your personal growth just stops!
When’s the last time you read a book, took an online course, or attended an event? When is the last time you got comfortable being uncomfortable?!

We were so willing growing up to get outside of our comfort zones to get better at something, but as adults we feel like we have too much to risk so we play it safe. But playing it safe means life is going to dictate to you what’s happening. The argument is usually that you don’t get paid to do personal growth, that seminar will cost you a lot of money or that online course isn’t free. I heard this quote recently – “Most people die when they’re 25 but don’t get buried until they’re 70.” If you’re not going to grow and push and pursue and embrace personal growth, you’re just treading water until they put you in the ground. I’m about to turn 40, and you may be on the other side of 40, or maybe 40 is a long way away for you, but I can tell you that I feel better now than I did at 25. I like me more. And it’s because around the age of 30, I started embracing personal growth and getting out of my comfort zone. A lot of the things I do everyday don’t come naturally to me! Crossfit, running, these things are outside of my comfort zone! But I want to see the person I have to become to do this stuff.

One of my favorite mentors was Jim Rohn. He encourages everybody to earn a million dollars, not for the money, but for who you have to become in order to become a millionaire. As I’ve watched my income grow over the past 10 years, I understand what he meant by that. The 25 year old version of me would never be able to live the life I live now because my brain was in the wrong spot. I was more scared of messing it up and failure and playing it safe and protecting myself until I realized that there’s not finality in failure. There’s really nothing that can happen in your life that’s not something you can recover from if you continue to move forward. You put yourself out there and you try a job and lose it, you try a new endeavor and it’s not successful, but you become a better person through the journey than anything the result was going to be. You’re in a further place than had you never started. The messed up mindset is that it’s “better for me not to try so that I don’t fail.” That’s just a bold face lie. You’ll be a better person just for trying.

In the pursuit of the thing you’re chasing, you may discover something else! Your passion may change. But the pursuit of that thing will lead to the next thing. The lessons you learn will lead you to super success down the line. You learn from that initial failure. Stretch yourself. Don’t be lazy. Don’t hide from discomfort behind the guise of responsibility. You’ll never find that thing you were supposed to do by playing it safe.

Anytime in life you choose to settle, you won’t be fulfilled. You may not incur pain but you won’t incur any pride either. You’ll live in a lukewarm “just get by” state. And that’s what most people are doing between 25 and getting stuck in the ground. “This isn’t great but i’s not bad.”  There are people out there that would love to have the opportunity to stretch themselves. Anytime I don’t feel like working out or runnig, I think to myself that there’s some dude with no legs who wishes he could getup in the morning and go run. How selfish is it when I say I don’t feel like doing arm day when there’s someone who doesn’t have arms. Theres someone else out there who doesn’t even have access to the technology that you’re reading from right now that could allow you to start a blog or a website.

I don’t know what the next move is for you. Maybe you want to start a side business with me in your spare time when you get home from work. Maybe you want a complete life change. Maybe you don’t know what it is! Message me! Let’s talk about it. I’m good at helping people figure out what they’re good at and build it. It’s my passion. Jimmy@thecoachjimmy.com. Regardless of whether we talk or not, get out of your comfort zone and embrace a personal growth program.