Mastering Emotion, The Battle Within

The grind is boring, sometimes uneventful and feels pointless. However when reflected upon you’ll realize that progress was being made the whole time. So why would one not be thrilled and happy at the progress being made, and more importantly this is exactly why one should track progress on the grind.

Happiness and excitement are emotional responses that are pursued. They give people the idea of progress when in reality they just want a little pop of excitement and aren’t the whole picture. And when you’re chasing excitement you’re setting yourself up for failure. It numbs you to the grind and slow days and encourages you to go against the obvious.

On the grind most progress is small or even non existent. However on the days of excitement people fix on the “what ifs” the possibilities, essentially creating a false reality that doesn’t align with the current circumstances.

When you do this over and over you create a habit loop that makes you chase moments that rarely occur and completely overlook the ones that occur 70-80% of the time (the grind, the slow and mundane) The single best way to make progress will be to set a baseline, track daily results and measure where you are in comparison to where you started.

Upon reflection of your progress you’ll realize just how far you’ve come and it didn’t even feel like it. That’s because progress is made during the grind. It’s the slow chipping away, the one step after another, the continual work put in day after day that makes the difference. The excitement shouldn’t be pursued daily, it should be felt upon reflection and observation of the grind.

Reflection and appreciation is where excitement and emotion should reside. Not in the everyday efforts while on the grind.

On the grind you are building trust within yourself to do what you said you were going to do. Even if it feels like you are screaming at yourself inside, you still are disciplined enough to do what you know you need to do in order to make progress. It’s those daily battles with yourself that separate those who achieve their goals with those that only dream of achieving them.

The difference lies within and the separation of pursuing excitement is the secret key that will unlock the door. On the grind you realize the best days are the ones where you go against what your feelings and emotions were telling you. You did what you know you needed to do, despite how you felt.

In the process you built trust within yourself that when faced with similar circumstances you have more faith in yourself now, allowing your confidence to build. Calming you, reducing stress and worry. Soon you find yourself looking forward to a challenge because you know you will do what’s necessary & enjoy being tested.

This is how confidence is built and the reshaping of the mind is achieved. It’s by pursuing the grind, the progress and having the discipline to push through the emotional conflict within.

Knowing how to turn down the volume of your emotions while pursing goals will have you hitting every goal you set your mind to. The real battle is within. It’s between logic and emotion.

They both have their place, their purpose and time. It’s knowing when and where to allow one to take over and the other to take a back seat. Master yourself & you’ll win the war.