It seems a lot of what we do in life, we do “just because”.

Just because …we’ve always done it that way.

Just because …that’s what’s expected.

Just because …that’s what everyone else does.

Just because …it’s a habit, ritual or tradition.

Just because …we don’t stop to see if these things are actually improving our life.

Does your diet or habit or job or hobby or relationship actually make your life better?  Does it help?  Have you ever stopped to think about it?

In my playing days…

My story

For the majority of my life I was obsessed with football (soccer).  It was everything to me.  But after eight years as a semi-pro it began to dawn on me that playing football wasn’t helping my life.  It wasn’t getting better.

I’d had a serious injury that had been seriously mismanaged.  I kept getting niggles and further damaging my body.  I was tight and sore.  I was no longer the same player.  The time commitment was huge.  The payslip and the enjoyment I got back were not.

Where was this road taking me?  Fast-forward 2 or 5 or 10 years and what would I have for my efforts?  Where would I be?  Was it worth it?

I realised that my football career was no longer serving me.  It was taking energy away from other things.  I felt I could make a bigger impact elsewhere.  It was time to quit.  Time to change.  Time to choose a different path.

Your Story

You don’t have to do what you’ve always done “just because”.  Take responsibility for your life.  Examine your habits.  Examine your hobbies.  Examine your relationships.  Examine your beliefs and examine what you’re chasing in life.  At the very least, examine the way you eat and your exercise programme!

If your thoughts and behaviours make you happier, if they are making a positive contribution to your life, fantastic!  Carry on.

If not, it might be time to change something.  It seems so many of us fall into the trap of thoughtlessly doing what we’ve always done, not realising that the things we’re tied to aren’t making our life better.  Often, we make the mistake of sacrificing our relationships, our health, or the best years of our life for things that can never replace these.

“You will be surprised but this is my experience of thousands of people: they cling to their misery for the simple reason that they have grown a certain kind of friendship with misery.  They have lived with it so long that now to leave it will be almost like a divorce.” (Osho: Courage: The joy of living dangerously)

Someone I have huge respect for is one of my closest friends.  He’d followed the socially and culturally conditioned path of getting a well-paid office-job in our hometown.  After a while he realised that, for him, there was more in life.  Despite (I imagine) some fears, despite undoubted judgement from friends and family, he took a chance.  He quit.  He left to pursue a life in another part of the world.  He left to discover something that might offer more fulfilment.

I’m not suggesting you quit everything.  Only that you consider the following questions:

• What’s most important to you?  What matters?
• Is what you’re doing helping?
• Does it make you happy?
• Fast-forward: where is this path taking you?
• Do you need to change something?

BIG IDEA: We do things the way we’ve always done them without stopping to see if they’re actually improving our life.

TAKEAWAY: If what you’re tied to isn’t making your life better, it might be time to make a change.

ACTION STEP: Want help making a change?  Check out my book, Energy Is Everything: Mindset, Nutrition and Exercise for the best version of you.  It’s available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle.

Always Keep Reaching!

Mike