When I was 16, I picked up boxing, Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. I wanted to be great at fighting. By 17, I’d decided in my head that great fighters have been doing this since they were 8, so I’d given up. When I was 18, I wrote blog posts and started multiple businesses, I’d take them to a level of significance but nothing actually significant. By 19, I’d decided in my head I wasn’t going to make 6 figures at it anytime soon, so I’d given up. Everything I wanted to get or do or be, I gave it one year tops before giving it up. Now I look back and ask myself “Where would I be right now if I’d stuck with it?What if I’d had that foresight?“ I work out every day now. I write every day now. I train to fight multiple times per week. I’m following the things I’ve wanted to do since I was a kid, because I now know the dividends I will get are going to have outstanding returns in 2 years, 5 years and 10 years from now. 1% better a day doesn’t look like much in 30 days, but it transforms you completely over the course of years. The most important lesson I’ve learned in life is to play the long game. The you in the past wants you to do better than they did, and the you in the future wants you to be better than you are. Don’t let yourself down.“ Credit: Jordan Allen via Quora.com
