X2. Its amazing to see how many things Harley has been involved with.
Harley, How do you find enough time in the day for all of your hobbies/passions, and have you found yourself burnt out from time to time?
Dear Shizzo,
You have touched upon the Achilles Heel of my life: Too many interests and not enough devotion to one in particular.
As I mentioned, I train with Craig 5 days per week. I train BJJ/MMA 3 times per week. My hobbies include piano, painting and languages.
Added to that, I run a charity for Mentally & Physically Challenged kids and by the way, have my own law practice in an attempt to fund all this.
I am a person who is fascinated by the concept of "Greatness." For terms of clarity, I should use the phrase "Relative Greatness" as my opinion
as to what is great can be vastly different from another's opinion. Some achievements are perceived as "greater" than others by almost all of us while
some give preference to achievements that would initiate debate as to the qualification or even presence of "greatness."
Perhaps this will better clarify what I mean: Almost every human being would consider the feat of man walking on the moon and returning to earth as
"great." We pretty much all share in our awe and appreciation of this feat.
Now, take running a marathon for example. I would not consider everyone who finishes a marathon to have achieved something "great." However, for each
and every person who crossed that finish line, they themselves might believe (and rightfully so) that they have achieved greatness. This "greatness" is therefore
a Relative Greatness (what I refer to as an "RG").
Another example might be my own paintings. Obviously, they are not great and no serious student of art (and that whole concept is for another time) would ever
think my paintings are great. But, to me, they are great only because I've far exceeded my expectations as to what I could paint. RG permits me to feel that my
work is great while not having to compare it to a Van Gogh.
Back to your question. In order to achieve anything of substance, I believe you must practice what I call "Polite Selfishness" (PS).
Polite Selfishness is seen in the practice of those aspiring to achieve greatness by not allowing others to dictate his actions or beliefs.
For example. You are training for a bodybuilding show. You must diet. Your friend invites you to his BBQ. If you are the type of person, like me,
who simply can't even be around food while dieting, then you have to decline your friend's invite. His possible scorn is less important than your
ultimate goal. You must politely explain why it is you can't go. You have to politely tell your wife why you aren't bringing her somewhere. You have to
ignore others when they tell you where you need to be (a social event) or how you need to do something. You just can't attend every social function if
you are truly aspiring to achieve greatness.
I am an awful piano player. However, if I quit my other interests and didn't see my friends or family, I could spend the necessary time practicing piano. I choose
not to do that.
We are all making calculations as to the value of our time, energy and resources. I can't take every client that calls me if I want to achieve my own RG. I can't train
for the BJJ World Championships if I spend 2 hours a day at the piano. Everything is a sacrifice. And no one achieves their goal without sacrifice.
The hardest part is not spending time with your loved ones when you are on the path of your own RG. We all feel this and we all battle with the difficulties confronting
us as we try to continue on our own respective paths towards our own RG.
Harley
