The REAL Secret To Achieving Your Best
and why you shouldn’t settle for less.

I am and have always been plagued by feelings of self-doubt. The question of whether or not I am good enough has kept me from doing many things. I often see other people succeed and wonder what they’ve got.

I am desperate to get my hands on some of “Michael’s Secret Stuff”, therefore believing the lie that successful people were born with some predisposition to be successful. I am one of those people who sits on the sideline, accepting my fate as a “fan”, as someone who will cheer for the winners out there, and live vicariously through them. Because those people we see on Instagram and YouTube are living the dream, right? We can never be as happy as them, right?
Wrong.
The lives on the other side of the screen are not always what they seem to be.
This is not a rant on bloggers/vloggers/famous people/etc., calling them out for being fake. I’m communicating that there’s another side of the story that we, the viewers, will probably never be able to fully understand. Individuals in the social spotlight, whether artists, musicians, entertainers, or the like, are motivated by unique things. For some it’s the money, for some it’s the recognition, for some it’s the community, and yet all of these things point to something greater. Everyone is on the hunt for an ever-elusive prize. Some call it happiness, some call it satisfaction, still others call it fulfillment, but this feeling is what drives us all. Unfortunately, many of the people we see who have “made it”, find their worth in material things, and we define success based on their experience. we begin to measure ourselves against others, and like the young boy who’s ice cream cone is slightly smaller than his brothers, we lose contentment and label our experience a failure. Are we bound to continue this cycle of competing for the most stuff?
We don’t have to be.
In fact, here’s my personal (albeit naive) alternative.
Erasmus says the following: “The vast machine that is the Earth was created to serve your ends. How narrow-minded and unthinking not to use it as a means but to be entranced with it as an end”. How foolish for us to abandon our beliefs and our ideas in the pursuit of the things that help us get there? Many of us wear a symbol of Jesus Christ’s death around our necks, and we preach the importance of helping the poor. It’s funny though, selling that necklace could do a lot more help than advising others to sacrifice. We find ourselves unknowingly enslaved, literally chained by the things we thought would bring us fulfillment. Like a bird caught in a snare. We can find ourselves in a state similar to the tree at the top of this article. Sure it’s tall, and has a good amount of branches, but it’s dead. Hollowed out by a fire, and its beginning to show on the outside. That tree will not be standing tall for very long, all it will take is a strong breeze to bring it down.
However, the strong and living tree with deep roots can withstand any windstorm. Here are my points in point form:
- Don’t play the comparison game.
- Focus on yourself.
- Don’t expect the things of this world to bring your satisfaction.
- Live for something bigger than yourself.
I have been around the block. I have been in pursuit of things, and I have found that each and every one will leave you feeling empty and hollow. I have also found true and sincere fulfillment in a faith in Jesus Christ and his death for my sins on the cross. However, my acceptance of that was not a one-time deal. I often want to settle for less. Paul (an awesome dude), writes on this in Galatians, chapter 4: “But now that you know God- or rather are known by God- how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable forces? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?”. It’s not easy being happy, and I still fall back into the comparison game. But thankfully we can always have a joy and a faith that Jesus has overcome the powers of this world. Focus on yourself, go out and do what only you can do, and glorify the God who made you, you.
That’s where my joy comes from, where does yours come from?
L. Atkins
P. S.
Here are some YouTubers whom I think live out what I’m trying to convey. Check em out.

Sara Dietschy

Casey Neistat
