I can start with the biggest lie I’ve ever been told.
“It’s not that simple.”
I believed it. Whenever I told my peers I wanted to start something new – do better in class, start writing poetry, pick up boxing, start learning guitar – the one phrase that always cut through was:
“It’s not that simple.”
But today, I want to tell you something different.
The best piece of advice I have ever received is this:
It’s always that simple.
I love to overcomplicate things. I bet you do, too. We create mental barriers as excuses to validate our inability to accomplish our goals. We tell ourselves that it’s complicated, our timing’s off, or we’re not ready. But in reality, they’re excuses disguised as logic. Sometimes, we even adapt to our inability to adapt, and in doing so, we stay stuck in places we don’t want to be.
But being stuck is not a failure. It’s a starting point. And you can choose where you want to go from there.
Because it really is that simple.
Yes, doing things you’re not used to is scary. Heck, it scares me, and it probably scares everyone.
The consistent discipline it takes to accomplish your greatest desires, to ascend, to have the authority to dream big – that’s difficult. But when it comes down to knowing what needs to be done, your brain will always know.
The first step, the next step, the final step – it’s all one, and it’s always within you.
You don’t need a hundred tutorials. You don’t need motivational videos on loop. You don’t need anyone to give you permission.
Everything you need is already there.
Yes, it’s going to be hard, and you’ll have to give more than you’ve ever given before.
But just remember:
It’s still that simple.
And that’s what makes it possible.
Mason Lai 