Comfort is Killing Your Dreams

James L. King
2 min readJan 2, 2022

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Do not act as if you were going to live ten thousand years. Death hangs over you. While you live, while it is in your power, be good.”

— Marcus Aurelius

I used to hate the world for my lack of progress. I felt frustrated and despondent. I blamed everything; my finances, the government, society — until I took a step back and accepted that I was the problem.

Specifically, my mindset was. I was addicted to safety.

Lack of adversity will rob you of purpose and meaning.

If you don’t reject the social conditioning addicting you to an easy life, it will lead you to ruin.

Americans are living in an era featuring the highest standard of living in the history of Planet Earth, yet there is more fear and anxiety than ever before. Depression is common, families are broken, toxic relationships are the norm and suicide rates are outrageous.

This is so because, despite access to lifestyles rivaling that of the kings of old, most people feel they have no control over their lives.

The first step in taking back control is realizing you can.

You can be whatever you want to be in life.

Naysayers will be quick to ask; “what if I want to become the President?”

Please understand: I am not guaranteeing you anything. What I am saying is that realizing your dream starts with internalizing the belief that it is possible. If you believe you will one day become President, you might. If you don’t, you definitely won’t.

We cannot expect perpetual comfort & simultaneous fulfillment.

In order to actualize your best self, you have to lean into suffering.

It sounds cliche, but anything worth having is worth fighting for. Good times will wax and wane, like the tide. It’s best to accept this and plan for rainy days, rather than praying they never come.

Growth is inherently painful.

When people talk about their lack of progress, they always seem to have someone or something else to blame. However, their own self-doubt is usually the culprit.

Understand that growth means transcending your limits, and you can’t do that if you never take risks. Stubbornly resist the fear of failure.

To grow, you must face failure. Accept that, and push forward.

This post was created with Typeshare

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James L. King
James L. King

Written by James L. King

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Hi, I’m James L. King, entrepreneur and brand architect. I write about branding, marketing, sales and self-improvement. Prepare yourself, I talk a lot.