Life: Greatness & Comfort. Greatness Vs Comfort. Greatness or Comfort.

How’s your imagination skills? Let’s try this: Imagine a desert.

Here’s a photo:

Did you get the (mental) picture? Good.

Second step — Now, imagine yourself in this desert. On a journey. Take your time. Imagine, you’ve walked through the desert for a long time, how does it feel? You’re probably tired right? Cursing at the miserable heat of the sun, your feet is burning up, you’re tired of sweating, you ran out of water a long time ago, and like the Italian man who got lost in the Moroccan Sahara Desert, you’re also praying you don’t die here, in this lonely, brutal desert. An endless journey in the desert is not pretty.

Is your feet tired, maybe your lips are super dry, peeling. Your shirt looks severely worn out. How does it feel being out here wandering through this uninhabited land? Not so amazing right? Hold on to this thought. Do you still have the image in your mind? You, in a desert? Alright, good.

Have you ever suffered the dreadful effects of dehydration? You don’t want to know what the Italian man had to do for water, not knowing when you’d drink water again, if ever, makes for some drastic desperate behaviors. But you’re on a journey right? Even though your energy is depleting, your enthusiasm completely shot, and your chances of making it out severely slim, you’re thriving only on sheer desperation but thriving all the same, right?. Dwell on that reality for just a little while. Let your mind wander.

You’re out on a desert, beaten down, no water, yet pushing forward. Alright.

Now picture this. After wandering for who knows how long, you finally reach a stream of water. Yes! Exciting right? Your heart just jumped in excitement? mine too. It’s like being rescued just before your last breath.

Here’s a picture:

The first thing a dehydrated person would do is to rush to the stream. Drink some water. Yes, because you’ve been without the gift of water for far too long. I would definitely take a nap right by the water, just after drinking so much water to the point I cannot move anymore. So, yes a nap would be in order.

Ok. Let’s pause here, but remember this exercise, I want to share something else with you.

Let’s come back to your regular, everyday life, you know when you’re not out wandering deserts and all. In your regular life, have you looked at somebody and thought to yourself — “they could have been much more?” Do you often wonder why some people make it and then lose it? while others make it but hold on to it? Do you know the hardest thing to do is knowing when not to do?

The World Champion Adriano Morales said this:

“So if you know how to ride, you know all the technique, I know all the technique and you’re more successful than I — why is that? Because mentally, you’re much stronger. You can handle pressure.”

It’s a fact.

Most people will not accomplish a greater potential. Because, the majority of humans will not leave the stream. This is an imaginary stream, on an imaginary journey, through an imaginary desert.

Walk with me.

The significance of this imaginary stream in our world can be compared to our first encounter with the good life, the first taste of “pure enjoyment.”

The significance of this imaginary desert in our world, can be likened to the rough terrain we go through in our every day life. Coarse, tough and brutal.

The gap between you and what you want is a sun scorched desert. And, at the very basic and honest level, what humans want and seek is Comfort. To put it plainly, all the chaos and obstructions in the world, since ages ago, is the inconveniencing result of seeking (greater) comfort.

As I learned yesterday from someone in France, the Europeans (uninvitedly, willingly and to the discomfort of all) tied their fate and future with Africans, for the search of (greater European) comfort. And today, similar view from someone else:

“England was never going to be enough for me, I needed Africa.” — Jonathan Scott.

If comfort is what humans seek, and the (imaginary) stream represents comfort. Why then would you leave the stream? Remember our exercise earlier? After wandering the desert just before you die, you reach the stream — why then would you leave the stream? Would you? Leave the stream?

If being the world champion is what you seek, and you won the world championship? Why not retire immediately, and bask in your victory?

If being the most profitable company in the world is what you seek, and you attain that goal, why expand? why not dwell in your accomplished glory?

If having someone who loves you is what you seek, why are you still attracted to the thighs of someone else?

If having the good life is what you seek, why then are you uncomfortable relishing in the good life?

If winning the war with your rival is what you seek (Japan occupying China), why not take the victory and enjoy the “fruits of your labor”?

If you made the hottest pepper on the planet and hold the Guinness World Record, why are you still making hot peppers, trying to break your own record?

If comfort is what we seek, why do we run away from accomplished and available comfort? Maybe we should?

Oh, don’t look to me for answers, I don’t have any. Unanswered Questions, however, I’ve got plenty.

You will notice this trend:
(Some) Humans acquire (first) comfort, just to go seek more/different/tougher/out of reach/unavailable/unacquired comfort elsewhere. Which in essence would be leaving the stream. But leaving the stream is bad for you, no? Well, not quite.

This is the question:
When walking through the desert (life) and we approach a stream (success), after quenching our thirst, are we supposed to continue our journey (continued hard work for greatness) through the desert or should we set up a life by the stream (maintain what we have)?

Some people would say stay at the stream. Others would say move on. Let’s consider this:

Muhammed Ali would not be considered the greatest of his generation, if he only fought one fight and won.

MayWeather would not be considered the greatest of his generation, if he only fought one fight and won.

Warren Buffet would not be considered a financial tycoon, if he only successfully made one trade.

Mike Tyson would not be the great he is, if he only had one TKO.

Lionel Messi would not be considered the greatest of his generation, if he only played a Cup Championship and scored.

Whitney Houston would not be considered the greatest of her era, if she only hit one pitch perfectly.

Elvis Presley would not be considered the greatest of his generation, if he only played one great concert.

Drake would not be the considered the golden child of his generation, if he only had one gold album.

Obama would not be considered a great orator for delivering one outstanding, great speech.

Do you get where I’m going with this? The confirmation of doing it once births the desire to do it again. Bigger this time. And much bolder!

Do you know the hardest thing to do is knowing when not to do?

The Significance of The Stream.

Most people never attain (a second) greatness, after their first taste of success. I did not make that up, check the stats.

Compare the McGregor that fought Jose Aldo and other McGregor’s fights after getting $100 Million for bouting with Mayweather. Not to say he would not be great again but to say he faces an even bigger mountain to reach greatness, after accumulating a serious amount of cash. Comfort.

McGregor has all money can buy. He’s not getting into the ring to buy a Ferrari or to be able to afford to live in Vegas. He’s not getting into the ring because he has Electric bills to pay or because his internet has been temporarily disconnected. You get my point.

Basketballers (the smart ones) are known to give away control of most of their money to a funds manager, especially at the start of their career so as to not lose sight of the mission, in order to keep the hunger and fire burning to go to work and perform.

When we achieve comfort, some will die there. Others will desire more comfort.

For those who desire more, you’d face a big issue — which is you’re very much likely to be less (mentally) energetic compared to how you used to be before your first success. This is greatly underestimated.

Comfort naturally comes with a lack of focus, a lack of desire and a loss of strength. OK. Now, to achieve a bigger comfort (disguised as a new dream, a new aspiration, a new goal), would require much more strength than the amount of strength your last accomplishment required but you will however have less strength and fire in your belly than when you first went about your first comfort.

When you’re most tried, the most strength would be required of you.

It’s the cake analogy, before you first eat cake (or drink water or eat food), your desire is at an all time high, after you eat cake, the desire reduces, the more cake you eat, the less the desire to eat more cake. A very few portion of people continue to have even greater appetite after they’ve eaten cake, they still want more cake — (this could be natural or taught by self or mentors/guides). Majority of people, however, after a few cake no longer want to see cake ever again. The more wins you get, the more desensitized you get about winning. Maybe that’s why losing is important. Maybe that’s why God gave us the opportunity to experience loss because nothing sharpens your lenses, burns your internal fires or awakens your senses or charges your inspiration and reduces you to gratitude like a good ol’ loss. No matter how fed up of cake you are, if you starve long enough, you’d eat (almost) anything.

In simple English, it is easier to make Amazon a successful book selling online shop and die there than it is to turn it into a Mega Trillion Dollars Empire because after attaining “successful book store” status, you’ve really made it and have proven your point. That is — if creating a successful book store was the point you were trying to make.

Clearly, Bezos really (even before Amazon) did not “need” the cash. He wasn’t a Billionaire but he wasn’t starving. The leap from book store to an A to Z “everything” store would have never happened for a lot of other founders, many would have died with the “successful book store” status— unless of course Bezos sort after something else from the onset (like world domination) instead of “successful business.” This is probably why the smart rich people tell the soon to be smart, soon to be rich people not to focus on money but to focus on a great product because money tags along a great product but a great product does not tag along with money.

When you have a true desire, you have the fire and juices to go after that desire, after you give your all to accomplish the desire and in fact win, naturally, you’d be less inclined to go suffer for another desire, especially if you don’t “have” to. Narcissists being the exemption.

At the first encounter of the good life, many people will get derailed. Majority of those who didn’t lose their way, would get discouraged by how little strength they have left compared to the increased suffering required for greater accomplishments. The more they recognize their severe lack of energy, the more they relish in the comfort of their previous accomplishments. They create and build a good life by the stream.

For others, they pick themselves up and go after much more success. Like Elon Musk using his last piece of wealth to save line his (then) crippling companies. There’s not a lot of normal individuals who would sanely do the same. You’re more likely to meet people who would hold on to their hundreds of millions and know their future is secured than risk it all on an already crippling business — a business where your prior investments had zero returns.

This is the difference between a good life and a great life.

Yes, you can build a desirable life by the stream and carry on a sustainable life.

You could also throw your sane hat away, grab your dreams and goals, launch back into the achiever’s desert and bargain your all for newfound greatness. The only catch is knowing when to say when. Knowing when you’ve reached your nirvana. Because if you keep giving (risking) your all for more, someday you’d lose your all.

Muhammed Ali was already great, he did not have to fight Larry Frazier, easy for me to say, hindsight and all but it goes to make the point. You have to know when to calm your nerves, park yourself by a stream and build a life. You keep charging at the desert, you might some day die at the desert before you reach any more streams, if there be any at all. If you even have any more energy to give.

In its simplest term — to be comfortable is to lose the “hunger”, the internal fire to accomplish something. To dwell in constant enjoyment, get fat and essentially die. This is the ultimate dream. To beat your chest and say you did it!

The difference between one hit wonders and icons is not talent, well talent does help but the main difference between oHws and icons comes down to hunger. The old adage of how bad do you want it has never been so true. But if icons do not know when to hang it up, they end up ridiculing their entire career by creating rubbish albums.

Let’s get personal. In my life, I can tell you I am stuck between leaving the stream and building a life at the stream. I know you have to leave good for better. I also know I have been “comfortable” for so long, I don’t have the same “go getter”, “suffer for what you want” energy like I used to. I could have a good life by the stream, a really good life. But, the callings of the desert wakes me up at night to give it all and come for a new challenge. To be a better self. To learn more. Face challenges. An opportunity to die trying (essentially), only issue is I don’t want to die, I don’t want to die trying. I’d rather live, by the beach, somewhere, drinking alcohol from a coconut, with my shorts on, walking barefoot through Waikiki. I also know I want to live my best life and that entails giving my best while I can give my best.

My concern? Dreams and Death calls out the same way. You do not really know if the calling you feel and hear is of dreams you have to accomplish or death enticing you. That’s why to leave the stream, it has to be for the accomplishment of what you have to have, should it turn out to be death, at least you could die saying you went for what you really wanted.

I don’t know what decisions you have to make, I don’t know whether you’re also at the same place as me. What I do know is you will make the right decision. To chase for more or to grow what you have, either way, make sure it fits your ideal plan for a life worth living.

For all the chaos and disruptions boils down to a desire for comfort. Have you reached comfort? Are you comfortable? Are you wise enough to appreciate being comfortable? Are you comfortable attaining comfort? It’s all mental. Appreciate the little, but don’t lose sight of the essential. Only you can decide what the essential is, and stop when you reach it.

Duke of Wellington said “The hardest thing of all for a soldier is to retreat.” He wasn’t lying. To know when to say when is the ultimate blindspot you’d ever face — simply because no one knows the result of their action prior to taking on the path. But it is your responsibility to know when it’s time for you to dwell in your victory and enjoy your winnings.

The greatest wisdom of war is to know the difference between victory and overkill. Don’t overkill.

The greatest wisdom of your life is to know the difference between victory and eternal dissatisfaction. One is a mental disorder, the other is acute perception.

Win and be satisfied with your victory. Retire before you lose.

With Love,

Famous Steve.