As we move through life, there are recurring themes that present themselves which are unique to our own experiences and the lens through which we view the world.

These themes tend to manifest as "mantras" that are graven in stone and placed on a mantle beside our values, beliefs, and priorities.

Over the years, through my own experiences, successes and failures, I've etched my own collection of mantras that have come to be known as my “Truths."

These are some of the words I can undeniably lean on when adversity makes its damnedest attempt to pull me down:

1. You Can't Please Everyone.

“I don’t know the secret to success, but the secret to failure is trying to please everyone”                                                                                                                                             - Bill Cosby

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There is something liberating about saying no to something you absolutely don’t want to do. Likewise, there is something cathartic about refusing to be anything but your authentic self.

Yet this is still one of the hardest concepts to grasp for many because of the obligation to please everyone.

The fact is, regardless of how much of yourself you give to others, or how out of your way you go to appease them, there will always be someone who takes issue with something.

There will always be someone who doesn’t like you for some stupid fucking reason. This Truth is first because, frankly, it’s the easiest and quickest to implement.

It’s impossible to please everyone.

Stop trying.

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2. This Too Shall Pass.

Terrible shit happens. It’s a fact of life.

But, here’s the thing:

Whatever pain you’re enduring, or whatever fresh hell you may find yourself chest-deep in, realize that everything is temporary.

From the brutally stressful week at work or home, to feelings of defeat and hopelessness, to the sudden onset of a breath-stealing panic attack, nothing is permanent.

Even the good times don’t last forever.

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3. Consistency is the X-Factor to Achieving Anything Extraordinary.

Anything worth having doesn’t come easy. To achieve your dream body, career, or goal takes relentless focus and consistency.

Not consistency for a few days or weeks, but every goddamn day of your life.

Taking small daily steps toward a goal with the aim of becoming just 1% better each day is paramount for making progress in what gets you fired up.  

And, if you don’t wake up fired up about something, go back to bed until you figure out what that thing is.

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4. You are the Average of the Five People You Spend the Most Time With.

Take a hard look at your current circle of friends and family.

What do they do?

Where does their passion lie?

Do you share common interests?

Do they help move you forward, or criticize you and hold you back?

This is a tough pill to swallow, but doing an audit of your current clique might uncover some uncomfortable truths about who you really should be spending your precious minutes with.

If these people don’t empower and energize you, spend less time with them and more time with those who do.

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5. There is No Drug on Earth as Powerful as Your Own Comfort Zone.

“A man stood at the pearly gates face-to-face with St. Peter in the afterlife.

The man asked: ‘St. Peter, I have been interested in military history for many years. Who was the greatest general of all time?’

St. Peter quickly responded: ‘That’s simple, it was that man right over there!’

The man replied: ‘You must be mistaken, I knew that man on earth, and he was just a  common laborer.’

St. Peter laughed and responded: ‘That’s right! That man would have been the greatest general of all time, had he been a general.’”

                                                                                                                        - Mark Twain

Our comfort zone is an addictive drug.

When the desire to change mounts, our comfort zone rushes in to offer temporary relief and reassure us that where we are is just fine.

It holds us back from doing things we know we could do, or things we may be afraid of but should do. Your comfort zone can slow you down or completely paralyze you - sometimes for years.

If that doesn’t scare the living shit out of you, check your pulse.

Throughout the daily grind of life, we often find ourselves treading water. Days turn into weeks, weeks into months, and months into years.

Then, one day you look back and realize that you’ve been a slave to your mundane routine. You were afraid to take a risk, try something new, or stray away from the beaten path because you might fail; you might look stupid.

It’s this fear of failure and judgment that keeps heels firmly planted in the ground.

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And, it’s the reason why this Truth is the most important.

In fact, it’s actually intertwined with each of the first 4 Truths.

Because, when we fail to take chances, it's often:

1. To attempt to be everything to everybody.

2. To avoid pain.

3. To avoid the commitment required by consistency.

4. To not piss off those in our “friend group.”

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With this in mind, what have you been putting off for years that it’s finally time to take action on?

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- Getting back into the gym and regaining your confidence?

- Starting that business you’ve been talking about?

- Leaving your terrible job and starting a new career?

Pick ONE and take action on it today.

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Then, use your own set of Truths as your compass.