Have your ever thought of the most influential person in your life? Someone who motivates you, inspires you, and makes you strive to be a better person. Whether it is in a good way or not, the people that we surround ourselves with have an enormous effect on the way we live our own lives. Peer pressure, social status, and just the thought of being liked by someone change the way we act, even if at heart we don’t necessarily want to be that way.
I don’t care who you are, how old you are, or whatever the case may be, every person needs to have a dream. To live a successful life, Matthew McConaughey said, “You need something to look up to, something to look forward to, and someone to chase.”  If you really think about that statement, everything about it is true. If we have nothing to look forward to, then why get up in the morning? If we don’t have a role model out there in the world to give ourselves an example of the kind of person we want to be, then how will we make decisions to shape ourselves into that person? Not only should you have someone else that you look up to, but you should strive to be better than your best self. Constantly, day in and day out, you will have to improve yourself to get closer to that person you want to be.

Trying to reach someone or something way out of reach is not bad because with failure comes success. Napoleon Hill once stated, “Most great people have attained their greatest success just one step beyond their greatest failure.”  We learn from our failures not our successes. Failure in life brings us closer to a solution, a correct answer, a new discovery, an improved talent, and more. For example, Michael Jordan quoted, “I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” Those who are not afraid of failing, have achieved the greatest accomplishments. The people who push past the mistakes and disappointments, form the courage to keep moving forward despite the negative outcomes. Those who don’t fail are the people who were too afraid to try something new. Too afraid to make something of themselves, and stop being seen as an average person who never achieved anything worth talking about in life.

Laziness is the number one killer of any dream that a person has. The second people are faced with a challenge or an obstacle, our first reaction is to just give up. We lose the enthusiasm that was once there on day one. For example, think about how many people make their new year’s resolution to get in shape. How many of those people actually follow through with their goal for a long period of time? Statistically, only 9.2% of people actually feel as if they successfully achieved their resolution. You can make any excuse you want for why you don’t achieve your goals, but it all leads back to being lazy. So, think about the things you want to have and achieve in your life and use that to fuel your drive to get up in the morning and be productive.

Everyone wishes life was easy and that they didn’t have to deal with any problems, but those difficulties help shape us into the type of person we are. Like Sylvester Stallone said, “Life ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place and I don’t care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it.” Take those obstacles and challenges head on. Let them beat you down to the ground, but keep moving forward. If you cannot run, walk. If you cannot walk, crawl. Do whatever it takes, to keep moving forward because just past the darkness could be the light of a wonderful life.

Time is not going to wait for you. It doesn’t care if you’re busy, don’t have money, or don’t have the means to get something done. No matter what, that clock keeps ticking. Take advantage of the time you have and make the best of it. Find that feeling way down deep inside yourself that allows you to keep pushing forward. Find that person to chase whether it be yourself or another person you are striving to be like. Get up off your butt and make something of yourself. You only have one life to live and the times goes by faster than you may think.