Be Grateful. Stay Hungry.

I know you’re probably thinking, “Wait, I know a quote just like this!”
Well, yes. Chances are, if you’re into entrepreneurship like I am, you’ve encountered it. Maybe you’ve even made it into a mantra and repeat it to yourself time and time again. I know I did.
“Stay hungry, stay foolish.”
Originated from the 1971 back cover of The Whole Earth Catalogue, became a sensation in the Self-Improvement world by Steve Jobs from his 2005 Stanford Commencement Speech. Having a role model like Steve, an innovator who literally changed the world by always pushing his and his company’s limits, you get influenced by words he said, and actions he took. But, I always felt like that quote lacked something. It didn’t correspond to my fundamental beliefs.
Long story short. 4 words I live by. Be grateful, stay hungry.
Being Grateful.
When I first heard J. Cole’s — Forest Hills Drive, an exceptionally remarkable album by the way, there’s one song that really resonated with me. Love Yourz. You know the type of song that brings goose bumps to your body? Love Yourz is that type of a song. There, Jermaine talks about love, happiness and the importance of being grateful.
See, nowadays life has become so dynamic, and we’re all in such a hurry (especially we Albanians) to get more things done, and make more money, and more of this, more of that, more, more, more. We always want more. More of everything. We want more cars, a new house, some celebrity’s life, or some celebrity’s wife. We’re so blinded by the ‘more’, we cannot see what’s in front of us. We’re blessed with so much, and yet we ignore it so much.
Always gonna be a bigger house somewhere, but man feel me
Long as the people in that motherf. love you dearly
Always gonna be a whip that’s better than the one you got
Always gonna be some clothes that’s fresher than the ones you rock
Always gonna be a chick that’s badder out there on the tours
But you ain’t never gonna be happy until you love yours — J. Cole, Love Yourz
We take everything for granted. Our family, our friends, our body, our mind. Well, we shouldn’t. Because life is short, and nothing lasts forever.
Cherish your loved ones. There’s only so much time that they, or you, will be around. So be there. Reassess your priorities, and give good vibes. Ensure that everyone involved in your life has a smile on their face and a burning desire in their heart.
There are so many ways to be grateful. I suggest you start journaling. Document your life, what you’re feeling and what you’re doing, but most importantly, don’t just put those thoughts to paper. Be direct, and show what you’re feeling in real life, to real people. Not on social media, or through texting. Tell them how much you love them, how grateful you are for them being in your life. You’ll make them happy, and yourself in the process. Spend time with people, because time is the most significant gift you can gift them.
Staying hungry.
I’ve always been crazy about wolves. There’s something about them that leaves such a deep imprint on your soul. They’re such beautiful creatures and their way of life is so captivating. Wolves aren’t quitters. When they’ve got an eye for a prey, they will follow and wait, be patient, until they feel it’s the right moment to strike. That’s what I’m gonna talk about here. Having that wolf hunger in your eyes. Not quitting, until you get what you want from life.
I mentioned a burning desire in your heart. The sort of desire that makes you wake up and prosper. I talked about being grateful. And, yes, it is very important. But, being grateful can become a form of procrastination and a way to make excuses.
“I’m thankful for what I got, I don’t need anything else.” Always be grateful, but don’t stop pushing yourself out of your comfort zone, trying new things, failing, getting up, failing, and getting up, anew. As we Albanians say, “You can’t drink calm water”, or similar, “A sitting duck’s a dead one.”
As long as there’s air in your lungs, you should strive to thrive, and be the best version of yourself. We all got potential in something. Everyone’s got something that makes their eyes spark, something that makes their tick, tock. So nurture that potential, encourage and develop that spark in your eyes.
Set giant goals for your life.
Let me show you something. Put your right hand up and reach as high as you can. Okay, now reach just a little bit higher.
See? I told you to reach as high as you can, yet when I said reach just a little bit higher, you reached. All needed was a little bit of stretching. That’s what I’m talking about. Getting out of your comfort zone, stretching every day, little by little, until someday you can reach higher than ever.
One last piece and I’m out. I encourage you to set goals. Giant goals. If you’re intimidated by them, fine, you should be. If you don’t aim for great things, you’ll never reach greatness. Anyhow, giant goals can make you procrastinate, and not start doing. If you think your goals are just impossible, raise your standard just a little bit higher than you think is possible. Every day. Start doing. You’ll surprise yourself.