"Why do you push yourself so hard?" or "What are you trying to prove?" are two frequent questions I get with regards my intense daily schedule, non-sleeping habits, and hardcore training regimen.
I often jokingly respond that there's plenty of time to sleep when life ceases; OR that I enjoy the process of discovering my limit then pushing this limit some more. But 90% of the time I just smile...which is my default response when I can't articulate in words the complex thoughts running through my head.
"I discovered early on that the truly great advantage of going all-out every time is that later you don't have to waste a single instant second-guessing yourself"
The above statement (by the main protagonist in John L. Parker's book, "Again to Carthage") captures those unarticulated thoughts...second-guessing myself and having regrets have ceased to be part of my consciousness because I put in everything I can into every task or undertaking no matter the scale (or the "importance" factor).
And here's what I finally realized about myself - my truth if you will - everything is serious! If one were to operate on this principle, as I do, then one would be taking the view that every action engaged in should be as deliberate as possible - and goes without saying - should bring out/reveal the best version of ourselves!
At the end of the day, if you're your hardest task master - there is absolutely NOTHING that anyone can throw your way that you haven't already thrown at yourself...or set yourself up to tackle effectively.
- Ayo Yusuf