I’m sure I’m not the first to have said this and I’m positive I won’t be the last. Next time you’re down in the dumps about how hard your life is, whether that’s because you hate your job, you’re not happy with your level of fitness, or anything like that I encourage you to give this notion some thought. We are all exactly who we’ve set out to be. As Steve Jobs once said “The world around you was made by people no different than you”. Forgive me if I’ve fudged that somewhat, but that’s the general idea.

It’s true, too. If you want to change your life you can change your habits. None of these things are going to be quick fixes, and I think that’s where a lot of people get off track. They want to fix these big problems tomorrow, and they don’t understand or perhaps don’t want to believe that it takes years or even decades to make such monumental changes to your life.

If you’re OK with this, that’s the first step in having the proper mindset to achieve even your most audacious goals. Patience is probably the most important characteristic you’re going to need by your side in whatever it is you undertake. Of course, you shouldn’t confuse patience with complacency, complacency is an entirely different story and it’s what keeps most people stuck in the same old rut that they always have been and always will be stuck in.

Patience, on the other hand, is what’s going to help you stick through whatever path you embark on through thick and thin, no matter how hard you have to work, how hard you have to fight, how many times you get beaten down, nor how long this whole process is going to take. The other characteristic that needs to go hand in hand with patience in order to achieve monumental goals is ambition.

It’s not just ambition by itself, but I’m not familiar of a word that encompasses the whole package. It’s really ambition in the presence of diligence and persistence that makes innovation happen. Think of it as a trifecta. Ambition is one corner, where you set huge goals that most people probably wouldn’t even dream of going after. That’s what makes you different though.

Diligence is a second corner, and it means taking into consideration all of the minute details that are going to be required to achieve your goals, and making sure they are implemented one way or another. You don’t have to be taking all of the action yourself, and depending on your goals it may be downright impossible to do it without a team. You do have to ensure that all of the important details are taken care of though.

Then completing the trifecta is persistence, that third corner. It gets backed up by patience, but really what it comes down to is sticking with it. You can plan all you want but things sometimes just don’t go accordingly. You’re going to have to be nimble, you’re going to have to adapt, and you’re going to have to stick with it until you achieve all you’ve ever wanted. If you do, you’ll be sure to be happy with the results years down the road.

Anyway, that’s the end of my rant for today. Know that you’re not alone on this journey, even though it might seem that way sometimes. There are others who have chosen to take this path, and it can be really helpful to coordinate with them. Find your tribe, and you’ll find your way. Best of luck out there, and thanks for being a reader of Paciat!