Because everything in life worth having is worth fighting for…

1. Personal greatness.

Easy goals don’t exist. A goal is a point of achievement that requires effort and sacrifice. There are no esteemed ventures worth participating in that don’t require some level of effort and struggle.

Decades from now when you’re resting on your deathbed, you will not remember the days that were easy, you will cherish the moments when you rose above your difficulties and conquered goals of magnitude. You will dream of the strength you found within yourself that allowed you to achieve what once seemed impossible.

Don’t do what’s easy, do what you’re capable of. Astound yourself with your own greatness.

2. Honesty and truth.

Personal transformation and growth can be remarkably rewarding, but only when the process of change is based on honesty and truth. When you’re not being authentic somewhere in your life or with someone in your life, any attempt at transformation eventually leads to anger and frustration. The truth always creeps back up on you; it does not cease to exist when you ignore it.

Being fake about any aspect of your existence slowly digs a dark void in your soul. Life will simply not work for you if you don’t show up as YOU. The truth may not be easy to deal with, but it will always set you free in the end. Read The Four Agreements .

3. A mind free of envy and jealously.

Envy and jealousy are costly diseases; you simply can’t be yourself within their confines. When you give in to them, the price you pay is steep – a bad mood, an unproductive mind, an inferiority complex, and a chronic migraine headache.

Being envious of what someone else has is like drinking poison and waiting for it to somehow improve your situation. Likewise, tearing someone else down in your jealous mind only tears you down in real life. Rather than devastating yourself with contemplations of things you don’t have or don’t want to happen, think for a second about what you do have, what you do want going forward, and what you can do right now to make progress with the realities you face.

4. Positive change.

When you’re in a situation you don’t want to be in, the prospect of making any change at all can be very appealing. Yet, unfocused change for the sake of change won’t necessarily bring you forward. When you use your time and energy to make a change, be sure it’s a change that will not only move you away from where you are, but will also move you to a better place.

Realizing that you need to make a change can be a great source of motivation, but in order for this motivation to create positive change, you must apply it toward creating things of value. Don’t fight against what you don’t want; create what you do want. Don’t punish those who have caused you pain; let go and focus on something new that soothes your pain. Don’t focus on what you are running away from; give your attention to the great things you want to create in your life.

5. A willingness to learn from mistakes.

One mistake does not have to rule your entire life, and it can’t unless you let it. This hour is a brand new hour with no faults in it yet. Think about your mistakes and learn from them, but don’t attempt to carry their weight around with you.

The road to success is littered with mistakes. Avoiding them is impossible. The thing that will ultimately define your success or failure will not be how many mistakes you make, but how you handle them all. The bottom line is that all mistakes die quickly, but you can’t live beyond what you know today if you aren’t willing to make mistakes and forgive yourself for them. Read The Untethered Soul .

6. Persistence and patience.

Before you give up, think about how unfortunate it would be if the results you have worked to achieve required just a tiny dose of additional effort. How disheartening would it be if the train you’ve been waiting for arrived five minutes after you walked out of the station? Not only does success require diligent effort, it requires persistence and patience.

Rest when you are tired, but don’t quit. You never know what’s just around the corner. It could be everything you’ve been working for, or it might be just another mile marker on your journey. Either way, when you keep putting one foot in front of the other, one day the next step you take will be the one that carries you to your goal.

7. True love.

There is no soul mate out there who will solve all your problems. There is no love at first sight that lasts without work and commitment. But there is someone out there worth fighting for. Not because they’re perfect, but because they’re imperfect in all the ways that are right for you. You compliment each other’s flaws in a way that allows your two spirits to unite and operate more efficiently as one.

You will know when you meet this person, when through them you meet the very best in yourself. Read 1,000 Little Things.

8. Goodwill.

There is no greatness or peace of mind where there is betrayal of your own goodwill. Always aim at complete sincerity of your thoughts, words and deeds. If it is wrong, don’t do it. If it is untrue, don’t repeat it.

Do what you do because you believe it’s the right thing to do. Do the right thing even when nobody is looking. Be one of the people who make a true difference in the world by leaving it a little better and more wholesome than you found it.