MindThe Beginner

Once more I look at my mountains and realize that they are tall. I can imagine myself standing on top and being on top of the world. I can dream about it and most of all I can be positive about it.

But let’s be honest, does being positive get you up there? Absolutely not! Being positive is just dreaming, you dream being up there while you lay in bed or on the couch watching some mindless TV show. “One day I’ll be up there you’ll see!”

Yes, one day… with that attitude that day will be when your body has disintegrated to dust and a speck of that dust carried on the wind might land on top of that mountain just by sheer luck. Stop lying to yourself! The only way someone gets up there is by working very hard, making long days, investing their time and doing the very best they can. You won’t get up there if you work four hours a week, you won’t get there by doing less, there is no magic trick. You’re not even assured of getting there by doing exactly the same thing as you idol.

If a best-selling author tells you you should read certain books, Amazon will be very happy with that writes because we all immediately start reading those books. If your idol wears certain shoes, how many of you will buy those shoes just so you can imitate him? Dress like the one who made it and maybe, just maybe, that success will be yours as well? Play on the signature guitar of your hero and you’ll soon be playing just as good? Dream on!

There is a reason some people are at the top of their niche or the best of their field. They got there first. No other blog will ever be able to challenge icanhascheeseburger. The owners of that blog make thousands of dollars a day just because they had the brilliant idea and monetized it. No other blog can do that anymore because it has been done and it will be seen as an imitation.

So why do we want to imitate others? The chance to be successful that way are slim at best. The way to get to the top of a mountain is to find one that hasn’t been climbed yet, one that is yours for the climbing without the crowds. The problem with our dreaming is that most of the time we dream of being someone else. That’s the easy dream we don’t need to be creative. We just think to ourselves “I want to be like that person, I want to live his life”. It will not get us there however. This is a fault in our thinking that helps sell all those signature guitars, replica racing helmets and any brand of clothing that “they” wear. There is a phenomenon called social proof. It’s the idea that if everyone is doing something it must be right. I wonder how many people actually buy something because their friends have bought it.

So what do we do about this problem? We dream our own dreams, create our own mountain to climb and be positive about that. Be realistic and dream about that goal in our life, not the goal someone else reached and who we envy.

Don’t wish you were this or that person you idolize. Be yourself and follow your own path to your own top.

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