#49 - How High Achievers Think

By Armaan Athwal

Today's Overview:

• The only way to move forward: Mandela’s discipline in action

• Will you act or escape?

• Quote of the day

The Only Way to Move Forward

Action is the only constant force moving us forward in life. With every action, we either move ahead or, yes, sometimes take a step back.

But even moving backwards is better than standing still. When we go backwards, we’re still learning and gaining experience.

It’s stagnation that truly kills dreams, leaving you to feel powerless and out of control.

When you’re not in control of your life, someone or something else pulls the strings. You’re left sitting in a chokehold, unable to make decisions or take the reins.

That’s why action is a must. You must have the discipline to act, no matter the circumstances.

Nelson Mandela, the renowned revolutionary and symbol of peace spent 27 years in prison fighting against the broken system of apartheid in South Africa. Many would have lost hope in his position. After all, how demoralizing is it to be imprisoned for standing up for what’s right, only to feel the world shutting you down? It’s easy to think, "Maybe there’s no point."

But Mandela didn’t let that stop him.

Nelson Mandela didn’t just sit back and let life happen to him. Instead, he took charge of his situation. He dove into his studies, learning about law and politics, and really digging into the issues that plagued his country.

But it wasn’t just about himself, he also became a leader among the other inmates, lifting their spirits and reminding them to stay committed to their fight for justice. Even in those tough times, Mandela focused on what he could control, his mindset and his determination to make a difference.

He refused to let himself feel powerless or out of control. Instead, he used his newfound "free time" to better himself, gaining as much knowledge as he could and sharpening his mind. He knew that when he finally got out, he wanted to take bold, meaningful action and he wasn’t going to waste a second of his time preparing for it.

When he finally walked out of prison in 1990, he wasn’t just a free man, he was a beacon of hope for millions. He went on to play a key role in ending apartheid and became South Africa’s first black president.

Will You Act or Escape?

In life, we can either let things happen to us and play the victim, or we can take control and face challenges head-on. No one wants bad things to happen, but they will. What matters is how we respond.

Anyone you’ve ever seen achieve something remarkable has faced that moment where they had to decide: Will they take action, or will they let adversity win?

The truth is, there’s nothing wrong with taking a moment to reset and acknowledge how tough things are. In fact, that pause can help you move forward with more clarity, as long as you don’t get stuck there.

I’ve seen it countless times in my life and in others, where we get frustrated or overwhelmed, and instead of facing the problem, we escape it. We tend to avoid the real issue by distracting ourselves. Filling our downtime with mindless escapes or using every spare moment to “unwind.” But the reality is, that doesn’t fix anything.

If you have a dream or a vision, there’s no way around it: you have to act.

It’s a cycle: Act. Fail. Learn. Act. Fail. Learn. The more you act, the more you’ll fail. But the more you fail, the more you’ll act. This cycle is unavoidable, but it’s also the one that high achievers go through endlessly. And that’s exactly why they succeed.

Quote of the Day

“Only through action have I unlocked the power inside of me to become the person that I’ve always wanted to be.” - Mel Robbins