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The Eternal Struggle to Be Better

Being a consummate professional is exhausting!

It's nearly impossible to be "the best" at what you do, no matter what it is. There will always be better writers, better accountants, better athletes, better models, or better CEOs than you. It's just the way of life.

Life is all about striving to be the best version of ourselves, to become the best we can be. We are constantly working toward self-improvement, growth, and change, all for the sake of finding that true "best" within ourselves.

But, damn, that's hard work!

Think about it: you're never able to just sit back and rest with the progress you've made. As soon as you reach one goal, you have to start working toward the next. You can never take a break, because if you do, you'll lose the ground you have gained. All of your progress will be for naught.

I find this a bitter pill to swallow. It's impossible to go from struggle to struggle without ever taking time to enjoy what you have achieved. If you're always working toward the next goal, you totally miss out on the joy of the now. You are so focused on living in the future that you fail to keep your eyes fixed on the awesome that is "right now".

People go through life always fixated on their next goal, their next promotion, their next big sale, their next book, that they miss out on the little things happening around them right now. I know that I've skipped events with friends and family so I could focus on making progress on my WIP, because it's something I'm passionate about. I love the feeling of making progress in my work, as it will help me reach my "goal" of finishing another book.

But it's taking a toll on me. I'm currently in the middle of writing two books, and waiting for another to be published. I'm working in five different directions at once, and it feels like I'm spinning my wheels. No matter how much progress I make as a writer, I'm never going to be as good as the people I strive to emulate. I'm just not good enough.

Don't get so caught up in the eternal struggle to be better than you say that to yourself. You are absolutely "good enough"! Sure, you can be better, but so what? Life is all about making progress, but it's also about enjoying life. You can't live under the gloomy burden of "not good enough", with your eyes always fixed on the ideal "better".

Love the progress you've made, laugh at your mistakes, and be excited about all that is to come. That eternal struggle will swallow you alive, or it will make you stronger!