Self Sabotage.
I’ve been in and out of this state my whole life. Self sabotage is the biggest stepping stone to mastery that I’ve experienced in every chapter of my life. Mastering the mind is easy for some, but for others (like myself), it embodies a roller coaster of emotions. Usually confidence, followed by deep periods of self sabotage. One minute you’re on the moon, the next, you forgot how you got there in the first place. As I’ve gotten older it’s become significantly harder to get through the low periods of self sabotage.
If you’re like me, and love working intricately on hobbies, passions, or anything that would push the limits of oneself. Mastery is the holy grail of self betterment. Once you master something, you feel like you can master anything. Except the path to mastery is often like running a marathon. Everything up until the last couple miles seems like easy work, but those last few couldn’t be further away. I think that people who genuinely are able to master the mind, realize some (if not most) things are out of their control. Mastery isn’t an end-all-be-all state, it’s more of a competence in knowing you’re capable of tackling the most demanding aspects of your respected discipline. There’s also a level of how much people spend time thinking about what they are working on. I think most masters don’t think all the time about their craft, instead they spend time iterating tiny failures that guide them.
For us overthinkers, this is the downfall of the character trait. Sometimes thinking deeply about the thing makes it much harder to get out of your own way, and when we end up doing so, we see the most progress.
There’s also another issue, on top of overthinking, the advent of social media has given rise to “overnight success stories”. It’s important to understand that most of these stories are the byproduct of excellent, dedicated work. They are definitely inspiring, but if you’re seeking mastery, it can be difficult if you self-sabotage and play the comparison game. This is where it’s essential to master the mind.
Once you’re able to master your thoughts, intentions, and emotions, is the time you’ll be able to take strides towards mastery. Nothing happens overnight, and not everyone has the same trajectory. If you're like me and like to self sabotage, I’m right here with you. There's more to life than comparing yourself to others. Mastery requires discipline and progressive intentions. Each day you can better yourself, the closer you can get to mastery.
Thanks for reading.
With love,
Kai
Weekly Poem,
A thousand tries
A thousand failures
A thousand lessons
A thousand times better than not trying at all.
