We wanted to be disciplined, organized, decisive, motivated, and happy.

To have self-control and a peaceful state of mind.

More money. Success. Status. Opportunities. All the good stuff.

We wanted to have them or embody them.

But nothing’s ever going to be perfect. There will always be things that trouble us.

And so, the battle begins (not physically, but mentally).

A battle between what our minds want vs what reality is.

And since we have multiple desires, we become conflicted. We resist. And try to control things. And latch onto our ideals.

It is supposedly a one-off battle. But we never recognize that there’s even a battle going on.

The simple solution to immediately end it is to be aware that we can’t control everything (self-awareness). Then accept things as they are (surrender to reality). Then move forward from a place of acceptance and composure (flow).

That’s not, however, as simple as it sounds. We’re imperfect humans. Acceptance is not our default.

So we follow people online, thinking they’re better than us. There must be something we’re not doing that they’re doing, let’s try it — our minds say.

Now we have a template. Something to guide us.

Turns out, that will never work. Maybe at first it does to an extent. But wait until things go downhill again.

Because life is much complex than what we’ve imagined.

What works for others doesn’t mean will automatically work for us.

There are a hundred things to consider. Every situation is different. Every person is different.

Sometimes there’s no immediate solution. You have to experience shit over and over again to fully understand what’s going on.

Here’s a simple reminder: As long as you’re alive, there will always be a battle — every single day. Don’t wish for the perfect situation. Learn to accept the things you can’t control. Get used to navigating less-than-ideal situations. Start by taking one tiny step towards where you want to be. Then keep going. Keep showing up every day. Small wins every day compound into one big win over time.