Here’s a New Year’s Resolution: Quit Complaining and Be Epic

By Scott Westerman
It’s time for those New Year’s resolutions. But before you make your list, let’s begin with a reality check.

You have to step up your game.

What got you by last year won’t be enough to get you by this year. Your competition will be tougher, smarter and more agile. The rules will probably change and you’ll have to learn how to play well in an evolving sandbox. Good stuff and bad stuff will happen to you. Deal with it. Step up your game.

Here’s a fact of life: The universe doesn’t care about you. It’s agnostic. lt has given you one extraordinary gift: the gift of life. You are an amazing human being, capable of doing remarkable things. Circumstance, people and events will get in the way of your hopes and dreams. Deal with it. Step up your game.

And why not go a step beyond just stepping up. Why not decide to be Epic this year.

It won’t be easy.

You won’t be able to blame your problems on other people, politics, where you came from or what’s happened to you.These things are what they are. Complaining about how you think your current situation is connected to them is wasted energy. These are things that “entitled” people do. Stop it.

If you decide to be epic, you will be accountable for your actions. You will hold others accountable for theirs. You will pay the price in time, talent and treasure to manifest the things you want. You will go the extra mile, work harder than the competition, open your heart to possible heartbreak, give a little more when you think you don’t have anymore to give. You will follow the law even as you fight to change laws you think are wrong. You won’t intentionally hurt anyone, but you also won’t intentionally allow anyone to hurt you or those you care about. You will deal with the your unpleasant current realities. And you will never lose faith that you will get to where you want to be.

The entitled think they are already there. The truth is we are never there. Being epic isn’t a destination. It’s a lifelong slog, a process, a daily commitment, a lifestyle. It’s never over until we stop breathing. We are all works-in-progress, always having to prove and re-prove that we can add value, make good decisions and do good things.

Epic people make some bad decisions. They make mistakes, sometimes big ones. They are imperfect. But they quickly do what they can to right their wrongs. They say that they are sorry. They rectify, forgive themselves and move on. And they embrace failure as the learning experience it was meant to be.

Decide to become epic and you will quickly discover that a lot is expected from those who expect to earn a lot. Our rewards in life will always be in exact proportion to our service. And payday does not come at the moment you serve. It will come only when you demonstrate consistent, excellent service over time.

And you can lose it all in an instant.

Every day, every hour, every minute you press the reset button and start the the program over again. Screw up the code and you’ll crash. Keep refining the code and you your capacity, your velocity, your awareness, your achievement will all increase.

The vast majority of the world will not decide to be epic. That’s not your fault. What is your fault is what happens if you decide to join them.

You will become what you think about and who you associate with. Think deliberately, productively and with a purpose. Let go of energy sucking relationships and prioritize people who care.

We are all actors on a world stage, deciding which role we want to play and acting like that person.. until we become that person.

What kind of person to you want to be this year? Life will throw you the same ups and downs whether you’re entitled or epic. You can let things happen or make things happen. It’s your choice. And by the way, not making a decision is a decision.

If you’re not happy with your current situation there’s no use blaming anybody for where you are right now. You’ll only stay there if you choose to make it so.

So decide, do and keep doing. There is no better feeling than the exhilaration of pursuing purpose with a passion. Teachers will emerge, fellow travelers will join you. Your life will become an adventure and not an apology.

Why not step up your game? Why not choose to be epic? And why not begin the journey from entitled to extraordinary right now?