The Phrase Holding You Back From Being Your Best Self
How often do you say it?
You’ve seen the above image before. You don’t remember where, or when, but you have.
It’s the most iconic photograph of the 20th century.
But do you know the story? Do you know that the man in the photo was on a date, left the woman he was with, and ran over to grab and non-consensually kiss a stranger?
You’ve seen the photo before, and you’d easily recognize it as being so famous, but you never took the time to learn the story.
Is it still a cute photo?
Picture two people. They’re both reading a personal growth book, like The Power of Habit or Atomic Habits or something by Tony Robbins. They’re at similar places in terms of career, health, wealth, and relationships.
Person A loves the book so much that he takes notes and ends up buying the book to revisit, so he can put into practice what the book says. Person B loves the book so much that he starts reading tons of other books just like it.
10 years go by. What do you expect from them?
Person A is the wealthiest, healthiest, happiest version of himself. Person B is in the same place, still reading those books.
“Knowledge is Power”
I don’t agree with Thomas Jefferson and Francis Bacon on this one.
Knowledge isn’t power. Only when you apply that knowledge can you harness the power that comes with it.
You may be aware of the health benefits of habitual exercise, the poisonous effects of fast food, or the infinite number of ways that one can make money online. But how many have you put into practice?
Have you instead just turned to the assurance of, “I’ve heard that before”? If so, you’re not alone.
Once you hear a new piece of information, you’re psychologically more likely to begin noticing it elsewhere. Suddenly the keto diet and the benefits of cold showers are everywhere, and you have two options.
- Be open to learning more, and actively decide to put it into practice.
- Say, “I’ve heard that before” and move on.
It’s an empty phrase that keeps you from having to do actual work. And it’s killing you. Slowly.
For years, I read books telling me to implement simple lifestyle and mindset changes that promised to transform my life.
But some of the principles went over my head the first time. The second time, if I read them in another book, I might’ve remembered them. After seeing the same ideas in 20 books, I grew tired. I’d heard it before.
And guess what? I started to treat more ideas like that. I could sputter them out like textbook facts when prompted, but in my own life? They were nowhere to be seen.
I was eating too much sugar. And not exercising enough. And using devices too long. And I knew that wasn’t what I had been advised so many times.
They may be repeated widely. But if you’re not putting them into practice, what’s the point?
That photograph has been everywhere. But if you don’t know the story, is it even worth the hype?
You’re only hurting yourself when you hold on to knowledge that could make your life better and not putting it into practice.
What’s your excuse?
Cold showers didn’t work for me, so now I alternate between warm and cold. I don’t follow fad diets because my body is still developing — instead, I make healthier, balanced lifestyle choices. I run sometimes when I don’t want to (it’s rare that I want to run when I do).
I’ve been told these things work countless times, but I choose to make them work for me instead of leaving the knowledge stored away in my mind.
If there’s anything I’m proud of, it’s that I’m moving past saying I’ve heard that before.
If you want to learn, pick up a book. Read an article. If you want to grow, it’s going to take more than that.
For one, you’re going to have to stop saying I’ve heard that before. But that’s just the beginning.
You’re going to have to make a deliberate and conscious effort to change. If you want to heal emotionally, reading a Dr. Phil book isn’t going to do it for you. You have to actually do the exercises. You have to put the work in.
“Cold showers give you shiny hair and clear skin.” Okay. But you’re still turning it to lukewarm and squinting at your pimples.
Take a cold shower. Buy a stock. Sign up for a webinar. Run around the block. Commit to an action that will get you somewhere outside of the comfort bubble in which you exist.
Figure out what works for you. At least test out the advice of the rich and famous. If it doesn’t work for you, quit. But then you can say, “I’ve tried that before.”