In life, we experience moments where someone else’s definition of what we should be able to accomplish can leave a deep scar in our mind? Whether we are a Black Belt or a professional in our field of expertise, we can all get caught up in questioning our hard-earned credentials based on someone else’s expectations.
There are two perspectives worth adopting in any scenario where our talents, performance, and achievements are in question. The first is from Bruce Lee’s head student in Jeet Kune Do (JKD), Dan Inosanto.
“I’m not as good as I want to be, but I’m twice as good as you think I am.”
Here Inosanto demonstrates the delicate balance of humility and confidence. He signifies his awareness that he has not arrived yet, and that there is still work to be done, while also reminding himself of how far he has come.
The second perspective is from the character Tyler Durden in the movie Fight Club.
“You are not your job. You're not how much money you have in the bank. You're not the car you drive. You're not the contents of your wallet.”
Durden’s words remind us that we are not the achievement, and most importantly, the achievement is not us. It’s a measuring stick to our progress, a goal to reach for, and an accomplishment, as well as a grading system after we achieve it.
There will always be external forces that will try to push us into a mold that has been imagined by someone other than ourselves. Ultimately, the only thumb that should be pressing us is our own, and most importantly, the only mold we should try to fit into is the one we envision for ourselves.
Every day I rise from my pillow with one mindset, “I’m working on it.” We are all essentially works of art, or projects that are under construction from the moment we wake up to the moment we go to sleep. This philosophy reminds me that I am a work in progress, with no end in sight. Adopting and embracing this as a lifestyle keeps me hungry for improvement.
“If you want more, become more.”
True success thrives in this mentality where we must demand more of ourselves in order to demand more for ourselves. It is a never-ending and tedious, daily campaign that we must wage against our own laziness, fatigue, and mediocracy. As we battle on, we must remember that perfection doesn’t truly exist. It is a conjured image, stamp, or label that only we should place in our minds. Perfection is something we must strive for, but also realize it is unobtainable. As we accept this, we can finally sympathize with why a dog loves chasing its tail so much.
“A goal is not always meant to be reached, it often serves simply as something to aim at.” Bruce Lee
When the sun sets, the only debt and dialogue that should matter about our performance are between us and our pillow. This conversation is short, and the night’s rest is long if we fight hard all day long to reach our version of perfection. The higher we climb, the more we stretch beyond the reaches of other’s definitions, labels, and expectations.
“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars.” Norman Vincent Peale
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