Limitless Monday: Are You A Participant Or An Observer?

Limitless Monday – Are you a participant or an observer?

During the lead up to the Super Bowl,  I was listening to a podcast on the potentially dull subject of domain names. One of the hosts, a self proclaimed expert, Andrew Rosener, has a habit of going off on irritating tangents. This episode was no different.

However, unlike the majority of his rants, this one struck a chord. Rosener was castigating his co-host for spending a large proportion of his spare time watching sports. I’ll paraphrase his diatribe. “I prefer to spend time enhancing my own life rather than watch a bunch of grown ass men run around chasing a ball.” I am sympathetic to his words.

In fact, I often tell whoever will listen that, rather than watch someone else have all the fun, you should be the one making your own memories. My advice is always to be a participant not an observer.

This thinking goes beyond sport. It can be applied to the hours we spend looking at social media, following influencers,  and watching endless YouTube and TikTok videos.

Yes, watching sport with your family or friends once in a while is a rewarding activity. But, sitting on your couch all day Sunday watching football is a waste of time. Pick yourself up off the couch and do something where you are part of the action!

I have never been an avid sports fan. I believe that stems from my preference for doing as opposed to watching. Let’s examine the life of an influencer for a moment. This particular influencer, let’s call him Jose, invests in crypto and travels the world posting pictures of himself with his feet up on a private jet, drinking tequila in cool bars surrounded by beautiful women and driving his blue Lamborghini to the gym.

We hang off this influencer’s every word, excited by his next post, slightly envious we are not living his life.

And guess what? You are going to remain envious. Jose has the balls to get off his couch and lead a risk taking life. He may well be cycling a bicycle to the gym this time next year when the price of his shit coins go to zero, but that does not matter to Jose. He is living what he believes is his best life.

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Do you truly believe that spending hours watching football or social media feeds is your best life?

Do you think that Jose spends hours watching social media feeds other than his own?

The answer is obvious. Spend as much of your time improving yourself. Find a pastime that involves your participation rather than choosing to watch others have fun. Become your own center of attention. The fun is in the action, not in watching it! The brave and bold choose action over eating chips and drinking a six pack slouched on their couch.

Happy Monday!

Banner Image: Football. Image Credit – Dave Adamson

Harry Maximillian

Harry is an author, coach, entrepreneur, comedian and a convicted felon. Harry was sent to prison for a financial crime where he spent five long years. Prison allowed Harry to realize the error of his ways. He decided to use his time productively and mobilize his extraordinary determination, dedication, drive, motivation and desire to focus on writing and the art of self-improvement. Before Harry’s enforced vacation he was one of the most prolific deal makers in the City of London.