You are your own worst enemy

From The 33 Strategies of War

You are your own worst enemy. You waste precious time dreaming of the future instead of engaging in the present. Since nothing seems urgent to you, you are only half involved in what you do.

The biggest obstacle to your success isn’t external, it’s you. Your laziness, your excuses, your tendency to daydream instead of act, these are the things holding you back. Dreaming feels good, but it’s a trap. It gives you the illusion of progress without requiring any real effort. The present is where the work happens, but it’s also where discomfort and uncertainty live. Most people avoid it. When you’re not fully committed, you’re only half-involved. You go through the motions, but you’re not truly present. This lack of urgency leads to mediocre results and wasted potential. The only way to break this cycle is through action and outside pressure. Action forces you to confront reality, and outside pressure (deadlines, competition, accountability) pushes you to perform.

All the books you read and blogs, podcast you listen to, they are 10% about the strategy that you need and 90% of the time they are trying to convince you to take the action. What makes achievers different from normal individuals is their ability to take consistent action, without worrying about the results or people or making fool of themselves. The idea remain the same, there is no strategy or golden rule other than being able to consistently do the work instead of wasting time dreaming or planning.

We all have friend in our group who is talented, always positive and have growth mindset talks about what is he/she going to do, they read books on their particular topic and listen to podcast everyday, but this is passive. they get dopamine hit just by talking or discussing about their goals. They don’t take necessary actions in order to move forwards. Days, weeks, months passed by they are stilling planning to do take action. They are always making strategic plan to move forward but they don’t take the action, they just cant execute/ Suddenly they are in mid thirties, where their friends have grown in families, career and good physical health but they are still in their planning phase. Does this sounds like someone you know or is this person you ?

Napoleon III

Emperor of France in the mid 1800s, dreamed of being a great leader like his uncle, Napoleon Bonaparte. But instead of forging himself through action, he spent years dreaming, scheming, and waiting for the right moment to seize power. By the time he did act, he had no real battle experience, no military strategy, and no ability to lead a country through war. So when he finally faced Prussia in 1870, he was crushed, captured, and exiled. His empire was destroyed in months. Like Most people, he thought he had time. He thought "one day" he would be ready. But he waited too long, and reality destroyed him.

Implementation:

1. Stop Dreaming, Start Doing: Dreams are useless without action. If you want to achieve something, start now. Don’t wait for the “perfect moment”, it doesn’t exist.

2. Create Urgency: Without urgency, you’ll drift. Create deadlines, set goals, and hold yourself accountable. If you can’t do it alone, enlist outside pressure.

3. Eliminate Distractions: Half involvement is often caused by distractions social media, TV, or meaningless tasks. Cut these out and focus on what matters.

4. Embrace Discomfort: Action is uncomfortable, but it’s the only way to grow. Stop avoiding discomfort and start embracing it.

5. Leverage Outside Pressure: Outside pressure, deadlines, competition, accountability forces you to act. Use it to your advantage. Join a group or community that holds you accountable. Or Hire accountability coach.

6. Focus on the Present: The present is where the work happens. Stop dreaming about the future and start engaging in the here and now. Make a list of what is important and why. Read that manifesto daily.