I Dare You to Work on Yourself
“You’re not everything you could be, and you know it.” – Jordan Peterson, Canadian psychology professor , YouTuber, and best-selling author.
Isn't it time you proclaim to yourself "enough is enough"?
Isn't it time to truly be in the present moment, using every waking minute towards working on yourself?
Don't give me those excuses such as "I don't have time" or "I will never change".
Haven't you seen other people you'd never expect to change, end up doing a complete 180 in life?
Often times they're those who've been the lowest of the low, being an obese, lazy, and useless individual to society.
And then, before you know it, they completely transform themselves, being as fit as can be, productive in all aspects of life, and a useful pillar to uplift society.
They decided enough was enough. It was time to change, and truly decided to change.
If you think about it, it’s incredible how these individuals chose to change themselves. Some people may say it‘s impossible, but think about this for a second.
It most definitely isn’t impossible.
If people such as those were willing to reverse their transgressions, what excuse do you and I have?
If you're reading this article right now, chances are you aren't from the lowest of the low. But you yourself know better than anyone that you still need a lot of self-improvement, and so do I.
I consider it hypocritical for myself to call upon people to walk the path of self-improvement without truly walking the path myself.
Therefore I will say that Alhamdulillah (all praise be to God in Arabic) I have begun the path a few years ago, but that does not make me perfect. I am far from perfect and I’ve made too many mistakes to count.
It’s just how we humans are. It’s the human phenomena.
But as I’ve began working on myself the past few years, I’ve seen tremendous progress (I’m definetaly not where I want to be, but I’m a lot closer now compared to where I was years back).
See, a few years ago I was some average obese kid with no aspirations. Actually no, ignore that. My only aspirations were to make sure I go to sleep having played hours of COD (Call of Duty for the boomers out there) and eating a crap load of anything filled with cheese (I loved cheese back then and I still do now ). Not only that, but everyone who I’d call a “friend” would make fun of me, often calling me an “obese bunny”. And as a cherry on top, I was always so nervous and self-conscious to the point where the only female I could talk to was my mom. It wasn’t a fun time for your homeboy.
Now however, I’m immensely blessed and humbled to say that I’m nowhere near being like that “obese bunny” at 19 years old.
Just so you can see for yourself what working on yourself can do, here’s what who I am now:
I‘m a 19-year old CEO, published writer, student journalist, high school certified tennis coach, Vice President of the Youth Board at my Mosque, and played as #1 on Orange Coast College’s Men’s Tennis Team in my first year in college. Seems like quite a big jump if you ask me.
I always tell people that “If I’m able to improve, you definitely will be able to improve.”
Every time I think of where I was compared to where I am now, my jaw drops.
Working on yourself can truly do wonders (it really can as shown).
Now, with all the improvement I’ve been through, it feels wrong of me not to give a few tips on how I managed to improve myself in only a few years, 4 to be exact.
Trust me, I know what you’re thinking. “4 years!? You expect me to work on myself for 4 friken years!? C’mon bro take a hike.”
Well, yeah. I do expect you to work on yourself for a few years. A lot of the time it’ll be you fixing your mistakes. It’ll be a tough road with plenty of turns. It’s not a straight line and it never will be. If that was the case, it would only take you and I a few months at most.
If you haven’t started the journey yet but you want to, pay close attention. These three tips will seem really small, simple and insignificant, but often what is small and simple makes the significant changes in life (as the saying goes, less is more, and more is too much).
1. Identify your goal
You’ve got to first and foremost know deep down why you want to change; why you want to work on yourself. You can work on many different things, but they all have to boil down to one thing you truly want. I suggest writing down on a piece of paper what it is you truly want. No one has to see that piece of paper. It is strictly for yourself and yourself only.
2. Consistency
“You can talk the talk, but can you walk the walk?” One of my middle school teachers used to always say that, Ahmad Almutawa.
Will you do what you say you’ll do? Will you actually follow through? Will you commit to working on yourself everyday, even if it’s something trivial like making sure you leave the house with your room clean? Consistency matters. Consistency is the where real change happens.
3. Trust the process
For the first few days you’ll feel euphoric. You’ll feel like you’re on top of the world knowing that you are now on the journey that will change your life. As you continue on the journey however, your ‘beginners luck' will begin to fade, and it will take more effort to see more self-improvement. When this happens, don’t give up. More improvements are around the corner, and they’re often the ones that not only show you that you’ve changed, but the world around you as well. Put your trust in the path, in God.
Commit Alchemy