1 Your old life will cost you your old old one

When we are trying to build a new life for ourselves, there are many roadblocks which we may hit. Fears of change, anxiety about what others might think, and the general worry that maybe things won’t work out the way we want them too.

Yet, if we are serious about wanting change in our lives, sacrifices must be made. All of the things that we currently think, do, practise, and enjoy about our lives right now will have to shift. This is the cost of the new life. This was one of the biggest challenges for me, and I’m willing to bet that it is for you too.

Now, that doesn’t mean that we have to give up all the positives that we have in our life, but it does mean that they may change slightly. Instead of simply writing for fun, or posting to my Instagram account whenever I felt like it, choosing to take these things seriously meant changing how I worked on them. Gone were the days of mood-writing, now I have to set deadlines and stick to them. My random posts on Instagram have become consistent reels every day, with time allocated to responding to comments and improving my feed.

These changes meant I had less time for other habits that weren’t as helpful, like watching films and TV, and forced me to manage my time more effectively to keep up. It’s not always easy, but failing to complete these tasks daily is so much more painful than doing them.

This is a small example, but our small habits make up our lives. If we want to live our dreams, we must be willing to make sacrifices and let go of the ‘old life’ to embrace the new. Unfortunately, this is the hardest part. Change is difficult, and we often seek to avoid it as much as possible. Yet, change is the only way to get what we want.

Our current lives, whether they are ideal or not are comfortable because we are safe in the familiar. Happy or not, we grow accustomed to the things that we dislike in our lives, and put up with them. It wasn’t until I fully understood this truth that I realised how important my choices are. I can choose to continue doing all the same things and get the same results, or I can do the uncomfortable things and get different ones. They may yield the results that I want, but they might not too, and I have to be prepared for that as well. Either way however, I’m still going to be moving closer to what I do want.

Of course, I won’t pretend that what I’m writing about is new or profound in any sense. In many cases, we already know these truths, but it is the practise that makes their meaning come alive.

I like to think of this work as a reinvestment of my time, efforts, and energy. It’s a way to bring be closer to the future that I’d like, and thus cannot be wasted. I will yield the results eventually.

So, what are you going to change now? What will you practise differently? Will you continue chasing old comforts, or work towards creating new opportunities?

2 The time will pass anyway

Have you ever heard a quote that just floored you? It changed your mind entirely with a few words? A saying that will ring through your mind until you die? This was it for me.

Life goes on, and the time passes by no matter what you choose to do, so why not try doing-living-being the person of your dreams? If you don’t, you’ll definitely be used to help fulfil someone else’s dream.

We all have a choice about what we choose to do with our lives, and no matter where we start, there are always things that we can do to improve and to help uplift others.

This saying made me realise that I no longer had any excuse to put off trying to achieve my goals, and neither do you. Time will pass whether we waste it scrolling on our phones or making videos ourselves. Reading someone else’s opinion or writing our own book. Watching tv or creating your screenplay. Whatever your dreams, there is only one way to achieve them, and that is to get started.

Personally, this quote stunned me most because it was in response to someone’s complaint. They said, as if it were an adequate excuse (which I also thought it was!), that their goals would take them three years to accomplish. I was rightly annoyed with them, three years is a long time to wait! But to be immediately countered with the words ‘the time will pass anyway’ shook me to my core.

Yes, the time will pass anyway, so why not try? Why not attempt to achieve what you want? Why not? Is that reason bigger than your dream desire? If not, get to work.

3 You have to start somewhere

Being a beginner can feel terrible. It can be humiliating and silly, uncomfortable and strange, but it is the first step to greatness. We all have to start from zero.

That doesn’t stop us from wanting to skip this awkward growing phase as quickly as possible, but this is the most important time! This is when you can make mistakes and learn from them. This is the time to fail brilliantly, when almost no one is watching. Because you are not just doing nothing in this time as a beginner!

You are learning to enjoy the process, to build consistency, to grow your confidence, and to change who you show up as in the world. It is the perfect time to become who you need, so that when the time comes and people are watching you, you’ll be ready.

Think of your favourite inspirational figure – whether they are an artist, celebrity, politician, speaker, revolutionary, athlete, and know that they too started somewhere. They too went through every humiliating act of growth and improvement to get to where they are today. And because of their years spent practising, they were ready when the time came.

Conclusion

There you have three hard truths that I believe we all need to hear at least once. I hope these have helped you in some way, as they did for me. Keep these close, and remember that it is rarely easy. Allow time to pass as it will, and do what you can, when you can to accomplish all that you want.