If there were ever words to be tattooed on my body, it would read “hustle, patience, big dreams, integrity.”

For me, these are the biggest and some of the most important words out there.

But why?

Hustle: Anything comes to the person that hustles the most.

Time after time in sports, I used to see the person who wasn’t as naturally  talented work harder than anyone else and come out on top. It is the same way in every other part of the world.

You may not have the money now, but sure enough, hustle more than anyone else, and you will get to where you want to be. It is hard to look at life as a long term investment.

Unfortunately, things don’t come easy and they do not come cheap. There is a reason why one of the most recognizable four letter phrase is “blood, sweat, and tears.” I have to put my heart into everything I do, every single day.

It will be difficult at times, but it is also incredibly rewarding when you work your tail off and you start to see the results. Keep going!

Don’t stop when you are starting to succeed. Continue to improve, find different ways of doing things, and take yourself to the next level…each and every day. 

Patience: Those who hustle, must be patient.

Be patient with others, be patient with yourself, be patient with everything. Patience was a skill that I really didn’t have until last year. The ability to give yourself the time you need is a skill that I developed…well, it was more baptism by fire.

The important part though is that you have the ability to give time. Not everything has to be done in this exact moment. In fact, that is a lot of the time completely counterproductive.

I really enjoy reading these days. I used to hate it, because I just wanted to be done with it. But now, I can sit down and read a couple hundred pages in a sitting, and not feel stressed out about it at all.

I am still learning patience. I am also learning patience with my body. Knowing that you are not going to get results as fast as you want them is a undeniable fact. It is the journey that matters.

Enjoy it. Enjoy every moment of transformation, because there is no end result. There is a milestone…but the growing never stops. 

Big Dreams: Dream as big as you can.

If you want to be the owner one day of your own company, dream it. Think of it all the time. Live that dream. See yourself there. Be there.

There is nothing else really to say about this except for the fact that big dreams will give you the strength to do anything.

Integrity: Having integrity with your word means that you honor your word as your self.

My word is me. If i give it, it reflects who I am as a human being when I keep it or when I break it. Doing something you said you would do is a huge part of integrity.

Being the person you set out to be, is an even bigger part. Just be who you want to be. It doesn’t take anything else besides determination. I don’t know who said this, but I wrote it down.

Determination is a measure of how much you believe in yourself. Wouldn’t you want to be someone great? I know that’s what I dream to be.

There is no someday. There is no past either. There is really only now. We all are guilty of living 99% in the past and in the future.

It’s not really anyones fault, it is just the way our brain works. But really try to get present to this moment. There are never any dull moments…something is always happening.

I find myself being really present at the gym lately. I will just look around or pick a spot on the floor and really be in that moment. If you have something you really want in life, go out and get it.

Do it now…don’t wait. 

Evan Sanders
The Better Man Project