Written by: Eric Deeter, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
What is the number one most important thing you have to do if you want to have an amazing and epic life?
If you do this one thing well, you will have a good life. If you are mediocre at this one thing, you will have a mediocre life. It's something that you do every day, and it's impossible for you to not do it. And, in most cases, you are expected to learn how to do this one thing by trial and error. And almost everything you have and who you are is a result of how well you have done this one thing.
Every second of every day, you make decisions. In fact, you're here now because you made a decision to read this article. And you didn't even think about the fact that you decided to be here. For example, you didn't weigh the pros and cons of what you might get from reading this article. Something caught your eye and you started reading. Other decisions, like what you'll have for lunch, take a bit more focus. But you probably don't give much thought to the interplay of factors your subconscious mind goes through to make that decision. "What do I feel like eating," is the question you ask yourself.
Most decisions don't feel like decisions because you make so many of them each day. Sometimes an important decision pops up and you do your best to get it right. But when it comes to looking at your life and wanting something more, something better, something epic, you have to make a Powerful Decision.
Powerful decisions are those decisions that affect both the quality and the direction of your life. These are different from daily decisions and important decisions. Daily decisions such as what to eat for lunch or what to wear have little impact on your life. Important decisions, such as choosing a career, buying a home, or choosing a partner, will affect the quality of your life. But powerful decisions are those that affect who you are and what you want from your life.
When you want to become the best version of yourself, when you want an epic life, you need to make powerful decisions. And powerful decisions come in threes.
First, you have to decide what you want.
Getting to the core of what you want takes work. Your ego will step up and lead you to your "Facebook answer." But you can pretty much count on the fact that if it works on Facebook it's hiding something much deeper. On Facebook you can say, I want to make the world a better place. I want my life to inspire others. I want to be a good parent. You don't put on Facebook things like, I want to be a kick-ass winner and make lots of money so I can travel the world and have epic adventures! But in order to become the best version of yourself, you have to get past the "Facebook" answers and be willing to sound selfish. The paradox is that you will make the world a better place and inspire others when you live an epic life.
Your second decision on the road to an epic life is to say, "I will do what it takes to get what I want.
Have you ever been around someone who complains about how bad their life is? If you ever ask, they assure you that they're doing the best they can to make their life better. But they always have excuses for why they're in such a mess. And usually, it's someone else's fault. Or it's bad luck. The economy. Powerful forces beyond their control. You can give them advice or solutions you know will work, and they won't even hear you. They have a victim mindset and are probably stuck there for life.
Powerful decisions are the opposite of being a victim. You take charge of your own destiny when you decide you're going to do what it takes to get what you want.
Most of us don't like to think about the fact that the place we are in life right now is the result of all the decisions we made. Of course, there are always those random events that affect your life. But you always decide how you respond to every event that comes along, and you decide the story you tell yourself about what those events mean. You can decide to beat yourself up for your past decisions, or you can make different decisions–powerful decisions. Get away from the "it's not my fault" mindset and accept responsibility for where you are and decide you will do what it takes to get your epic life.
Your third decision is to go all the way until you get what you want.
I am an ultramarathon runner. One of the mindset tools I use when I run ultramarathons is to decide in advance what will have to happen for me to DNF (Did Not Finish). In general, if I'm at risk of permanent injury or death, I will take a DNF. Every other problem, like blisters, chafing, muscle cramps, nutrition or hydration issues, or any of the dozens of other problems that arise, I will deal with them and press on.
The road to an epic life requires the same kind of decision to keep moving forward. Just like running a 100-mile ultramarathon, you'll face plenty of times when you'll feel like quitting. And, at those moments, the reasons for quitting will seem reasonable, logical, and the smart thing to do. But don't be fooled. Ultra runners who quit the race often realize it was their mind and not their body that failed them. Decide what will make you quit before you start your journey. It should be a short list.
Powerful decisions are the first step to an amazing life. Think about the plot of the most memorable movies and books. The hero has a decision at the start of the story to go on a journey that will challenge him, test him, and transform him into a better person. In the process, he makes the world a better place and inspires others. There are those who are content to stay home and ignore whatever passion might flicker in their soul. But there are others of us who will not be content until we have the epic life we have the audacity to say we want. If this is who you are, then you are my tribe. The world needs your epicness!
Eric Deeter, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Eric Deeter is an entrepreneur, published author, certified life coach, podcaster, and barefoot/minimalist ultramarathon runner. He says that the mindset for life transformation and the mindset for ultramarathon running is the same. A goal that seems impossible at first becomes a reasonable challenge to work towards. He helps his clients discover and go after their EPIC THING: that big dream or goal they have put away in the back corner of their minds.
