I Tried My Best

The Siren's Seductive Call of Self-Sabotage

If you know anything about copywriting, you know there is one golden rule. Never, ever, make the customer feel like the problem is their fault.

This article is going to break the rules.

I'm going to agitate you. Get under your skin. I expect some of you will rage quit smashing that 'X' and putting down your phone.

Some ideas need to be shared. Some need to be challenged (hard) if we want to achieve our goals.

Rationalization is running rampant.

People have never been happier to let themselves off the hook than they are today.

It's not all your fault. 

The self-help industry is estimated to be worth $11.3B dollars a year. There are two key sales strategies to sell at scale. Take away someone's pain, or help them get what they desire. Self-improvement hits people on both fronts, you barely have a chance against the psychological warfare.

What's their number one seller?

It's not your fault, you tried your best.

While you may not want to admit it, you probably quit.

We are bombarded by more information than any previous generation. In 300,000 years, our brains have never had to deal with the amount of data we do now. Everywhere you turn, someone is telling you something different.

Who has the stamina to keeping doing hard work when there's always someone telling you that you've done enough?

Quitting is easy.

Real success isn't handed to you. There is no magic tipping point where you'll be judged to have "made it" and be given the keys to the golden castle.

Success is built on hard days. Those hard days have more layered on top and the whole structure is build on a foundation of challenges you overcame.

I'm not suggesting everything has to have a dramatic impact. Small things or big things, your brain doesn't care. 

Quitting becomes a habit. 

Just like a addict needing a quick fix, the more often you quit, the easier it is to seek that soothing sensation when things get hard.

I ran a 5k today. I was not in the mood to do it.

Went anyways.

I wanted to quit half way through.

Didn't stop.

Wanted to quit again at three quarters.

Pushed on.

At ninety percent done … thoughts were seeping into my brain to quit. 

"Look at what you did already", "that's better than most", "you already forced yourself to get out and do the run, be happy".

I finished the 5k

I'm not boasting, I actually think it's sad that my brain still cycles that way (I've been running for years).

How you do anything, is how you do everything

I remind myself of that often. So I keep pushing.

Steven Pressfield would call that feeling resistance. A feeling that will always be there. The unknown force that tries to stop you from "doing your art" - in this case, things you want to achieve.

All you can do is to keep showing up and keep doing the work. At some point those hard days shift, and things get easier. The more you work at it, the more you build up your strength.

No great achievement was ever born from someone who just did good enough.