It may be easy to confuse a trophy with the idea that you have mastered something. Trophies are a reminder of past accomplishments. They remind us and those that see them of our dominance in a particular sport, field or area. But unless you are getting trophies on a regular basis, old trophies can make you complacent and resting on your past, preventing you from moving into your future.
Self Mastery is something that you work on every day. We are often the toughest project that we will work on. Recently, I decided to clean out my office. I had so many old documents and items that it began to just feel cluttered. As I started sorting through things, I looked at a pile of old high school sports trophies mixed in with some current coaching trophies and plaques that I have received in my adult life. I had been holding on to my high school trophies so I could share them with my son and offer some form of encouragement to him along his journey. The truth is, he has started earning his own. With that in mind I thought to myself “why am I really keeping these things?”
Part of the reason I kept the trophies was because, yes, I was proud of those times in my life, but in my present day life, there are areas that I feel I am complacent. There is still much more for me to accomplish. There is still much more for me to dominate.
My Journey of Self Mastery
In six months, I will be turning 50 years old. It’s ABSOLUTELY CRAZY to think about that! As I approach the big date, I have to ask myself “What parts of my life have I mastered?” Let’s look at the area of health. When you are younger, you feel that you have so much time and your body reacts and recovers much differently than it does as you get older. So I’m starting there. Without good health, you cannot accomplish anything. My goal for my 50th birthday is to be in the best shape of my adult life and I am actually off to a decent start. I am currently 223 pounds which is about 7 pounds more than my weight when I was 18 years old. Over the next 6 months I will be focusing on my weight training and really working to improve my strength and physique. Since I am on the subject of health, I want to encourage all men to make sure you are consistency seeing your doctor. Go get the exams and take the test. I have seen and heard of so many fairly young men that have left this earth because they mismanaged their health. They are often leaving a family behind that is depending on them. No matter what you may be facing, as long as you are here, you have a fighting chance to improve your situation and yourself.
The ride is never in a straight line. So many detours and changes of directions just to get to the final destination. Daily we are faced with so many distractions that can easily keep us from focusing on the most important thing… being the best versions of ourselves. We live in a world that celebrates average and regularly hands out participation trophies.
What do you need to master in your life? What are some things that you could remove from your life that would help you to press forward. My health journey is just one of several things that are on my list. I will share more with you all over time. No matter what you personally need to master, I hope that you are daily finding the courage to move forward and surround yourself with the people that you need, who will pour into your life to help you reach the next, greatest version of yourself.
Cheers to mastery and cheers to new trophies!