After careful thought, I’ve realized what I admire most in all my favorite people is their grit. I love people with grit—actual grit—the drive to push harder for what they believe in. I crave that kind of optimization, a journey that transforms me into my favorite version of myself.
Waking up and going to work everyday, spending an hour at night watching reels, playing cute little games on my phone, reading cute little stories, and consuming cute little movies is fun. I won’t deny it—I love it. It makes life more bearable. But is it really? Now, I spend half of my life consuming information and earning money, and this feels like it could be my life forever.
But this isn’t who I thought I would be when I was a child, I wanted to be a hero, I wanted to live my life to the fullest, I was curious and enthusiastic about everything. The world was very much my oyster. It made sense then—I was a child, untouched by society’s expectations. I was my original self, or as Robin Sharma says, I still had my genius.
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.” – Steve Jobs
For a long time, I’ve been coddling my potential. We all know we’re capable of greatness, yet we play it safe. We choose the less risky option. We spend time focusing on things that can get us a job in two months, and when we get the job, we get too busy being busy.
We forget who we wanted to be in the first place. But the money is good, we get a promotion, and the next thing we know, we’re comfortable. We lose our grit. We become a mediocre version of ourselves. And when people ask us to do better, we tell ourselves, “I’m doing my best.”
I’ve never done my “best.” I’ve always done what was easier, what I could manage at the moment, what felt possible from my perspective. I think it all started the last year of secondary school when I gave up on chemistry because it got hard. Then I gave up on finishing my book when my characters became too complicated. I gave up on a lot of things. You could say I’ve been a quitter.
My best could probably have built a spaceship by now, my best is such a great version of the person I am if I didn’t have doubt, laziness and greed. My best would save the world. Now imagine if we all did our best? Like our absolute best?
In my society, we often cringe at people who are trying too hard. Anytime someone calls themselves a history maker, an empire builder, or an entrepreneur, we roll our eyes. It’s as if the idea that someone might want to create something great is unfathomable.
But now I get it. The only person stopping me from becoming myself is me. So how do I go back? Where’s the step-by-step guide?
“Push yourself to do more and to experience more. Harness your energy to start expanding your dreams. Yes, expand your dreams. Don’t accept a life of mediocrity when you hold such infinite potential within the fortress of your mind. Dare to tap into your greatness.” —Robin Sharma, The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari
Sounds simple enough, right?
But here’s the thing about grit—they never really teach us how to maintain it. We can get motivated in seconds, but keeping the grit for something you want is hard. And there’s no cheat code for it because it’s all in your head. You either have it or you don’t.
One day, you want something badly; the next month, not having it doesn’t seem so bad. And so we end up with failed ‘piped’ dreams and forgotten projects because the passion we once had fades.
Like Robin Sharma said, “You’ll never take the world to a place higher than you’ve visited internally.”
Since starting my periodic publications, I realize I sound like a motivator. So, I figured its time to start becoming the person I write about in these articles.
I believe it begins by building a deep intimacy with my own mortality. Spoiler alert: eventually, I will turn to dust and be forgotten. So, why make life about ego, the nice car, the big house, or the powerful demeanor? Who do I really want to be in this brief life of mine?
I want to be seen as a curious person, deeply interested in life, someone with genuine experiences and meaningful connections. I want to be skilled at my craft so I can focus less on being likable and more on loving the people in my life. At the end of the day, success is tied to matters of the heart.
It’s never just about mindset—it’s also about heartset, healthset, and soulset. Wanting that big office in a successful company doesn’t come from a safe space. It often comes from a mind that’s insecure, self-loathing, and in need of something external to fill an internal void.
“Great lives, great art, great businesses—great anything—don’t come from your mind; they come from your heart.” —Robin Sharma
Revolutionizing your existence means showing up more as yourself every day—waking up with grit and passion, existing boldly, and doing things that help you reconnect with your higher self.
Whether it’s waking up an hour earlier to do those assisted pushups, meditating, journaling, or decluttering—it will be done. It’s about committing to these actions because we need to cultivate resilience for our dreams. Mastery over our minds, hearts, health, and souls empowers us to achieve what our inner genius have always wanted.
There is more to who you are than even the people who raised you or the friends who know you best can see. Only you can truly sit down and discover what’s worth living for—something bigger than yourself.
For Mother Teresa, it was helping people; for Nelson Mandela, it was fighting for his people; for Malala Yousafzai, it was advocating for girls’ education; for Martin Luther King Jr., it was seeking justice and equality; for Rosa Parks, it was standing up for civil rights.
For Mahatma Gandhi, it was leading through nonviolence; for Wangari Maathai, it was protecting the environment; for Eleanor Roosevelt, it was advocating for human rights; for Albert Einstein, it was unlocking the mysteries of the universe; for Marie Curie, it was advancing scientific discovery; for Harriet Tubman, it was liberating the oppressed.
What will it be for you?
The author is a Digital Strategist, Creative Entrepreneur and Passionate Mental Health Advocate
