Are you a Winner or a Snoozer?

By Crom

“Some are born to move the world

to live their fantasies

But most of us just dream about

the things we’d like to be”

Lyrics by Rush – “Losing it”

What could be the cause of the difference between these two groups of people, between the ones that live their fantasies and the ones that just keep dreaming? Between the winners and the ones who keep snoozing?

Climbing the guava tree

I already got to know this difference at a very young age. I was born from a teenage mother. My mother was barely 13 when she gave birth to me. So my grandparents initially raised me. My grandfather was illiterate. I don’t know if he could recognize anything in writing, except his own name and numbers up to five digits. Still, to me he was one of the wisest men I ever met.

My grandfather taught me that ‘wanting’ was a very powerful thing. I remember talking to him about a conversation that I overheard one day. A friend of the family who wanted something and did not get it, came to to us and talked about it.

Afterwards I went to my grandfather to talk about this this guy and the conversation I heard. I said something like:

“Poor guy, he did not get what he wanted.”

My grandfather replied:

“If he did not get it, I’s because he did not want it.”

That reply puzzled me. In my childish naivety I was convinced that the guy wanted the thing he did not get. And so I said:

“He wanted it, I heard him, you were not here…”

And my grandfather replied:

“My son, ‘wanting’ is a very powerful force. When you want something, it is impossible not to get it.”

fruit

After hearing this I was more puzzled than before. However, I was speechless. So I spent the following days thinking about that, until I eventually went to my grandfather again and asked:

“What do you mean when you want something it is impossible not to get it?”

“If you want something, it is already yours. You just have to walk to it and take it.”

“What do you mean walk to it?”

“Last Sunday when you wanted a guava that was on a high part of the tree. What did you do?”

“I climbed to the tree, took it and ate it.”

“Do you think you were the only one to see that guava?”

The moment I heard that question I had an epiphany. It was true: many kids were saying that they wanted that guava, yet they did not to climb the tree to get it.

Now let’s fast forward to 2016…

Today technology makes it really easy for us to know if we are the successful type or not, all we have to do is ask:

“What was my first decision today?”

You might not know what I am talking about, because you did it on autopilot. But this is probably what happened: Last night you took your phone (who uses analog clocks nowadays…) to set the alarm to the time you wanted to wake up this morning.

So when the alarm went off this morning you had a decision to make: get out of bed or hit the snooze button.

What did you do?

Well if you hit the snooze button, you are not a winner… you are a snoozer. You did not want to wake up at the time the alarm went off, you wanted to stay in bed.

Do you think Einstein used the snooze button?

winner or snoozer

You think that there were no snooze buttons in the time of Einstein? Oh yes! Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci and all historical successful figures did have a snooze button. You think that the snooze button is a new invention? No, snoozing is in fact older than the wheel. The snooze on the phone is just the latest in the evolution of snooze buttons. There are many other snooze buttons to be pushed all day and everyday.

Imagine all the great ideas people have every day. Ideas are popping up and beeping at them, just like the alarm on their phones. But most of those ideas just get snoozed. The ideas towards their dreams, to go on a trip, to start a business, to start a blog or website, to travel alone, to start freelancing, to quit their jobs, to start eating healthier food, to buy a van 😉

When those ideas beep you, you have a decision to make: get your ass up and do something or snooze it. And if you snoozed it, guess what?

You are a snoozer.

It is no different than my situation with the guava. The other kids looked at the guava, but instead of taking the steps necessary to get it, they snoozed.

We don’t live in a world of Winners and Losers. We live in a world of Winners and Snoozers.

But why do we snooze?

I think we all heard this phrase before:

Mens sana, corpore sano – Healthy mind, healthy body

 I will take this a little further

Mens sana, vita sana – Healthy mind, healthy life.

If that is true, we also need to look at the flip side of that coin.

Unhealthy mind, unhealthy body – Unhealthy mind, unhealthy life.

Here is another way to look at it: The mind is supposed to master the body. When you set the alarm last night, that was your mind at work. When you have your ideas, that is your mind. When you think about doing more exercise, to stop smoking etc.… all of that is your mind.

When you snooze however, that is your body at work. Your body will always fight to stay in it’s comfort zone. So snoozing is not your mind mastering your body, It’s your body mastering your mind. So we can conclude:

Unhealthy body – unhealthy mind – unhealthy life

Your body will never ever feel like going out of the comfort zone. You need to get your mind to take control and force your body to do it. Otherwise your body will always be a snoozer.

Let’s just be winners!

People say that life is short. I say: Life is only short for winners, for successful people. For people who shake the world and live their fantasies. To them a day feels like just one hour.

For snoozers who only dream about things they would like to be, life is long… way too long. To snoozers a day is like an eternity.

So my grandfather was right. When you want something, it is already yours. You just need to go and get it. Use the power of your mind to force your body out of its comfort zone. As my grandfather said: ‘Wanting’ is the greatest force you’ll ever know. So if your really want something, use that force and act now!

That’s how snoozers become winners!

What do you think about this story? Are there things you recognize? In what way do you snooze your ideas or dreams? Or are you someone who can’t be stopped? We are open to discussion, so please leave your thoughts in a reply underneath this post. 

5 comments

  1. Comment by Fenna

    Fenna Reply 19 February 2016 at 09:08

    Wonderful story! Sometimes I feel, maybe more people do, that the things you want are sometimes to far away. What I’ve learned is to make that dream come closer to you. What are some tiny steps you can take to get closer to your dream? That really helps me do the things necessary to accomplish my dreams. Thinking about those tiny steps keeps the dream alive!

    • Comment by Crom

      Crom Reply 23 February 2016 at 09:06

      Hi Fenna, Thanks for your comment! You are right: it is indeed a great idea to divide your dream in tiny steps. An extra thing you can do is to erase the words “No” and the word “How”
      The word “No” in the sense of saying “No it is impossible”. Nothing is impossible. The human brain will always think the possible; from the moment it exists in your mind it is already possible.
      “How” is not you business, it is the Universe’s, and your only job is to remain loyal to your dream.
      Of course you can also begin to remove the obstacles between you and your dream, such as unnecessary expenses. I don’t mean just money: Time and thought are very precious as well. I also mean Facebook, unproductive and unconstructive entertainment, snoozing, fear, drama, thinking and expressing negative thoughts about yourself, etc. Instead replace those with awareness. Wake up 30 minutes earlier and dedicate 30 minutes to your dream, before working on someone else’s dream. Even if it is just visualizing it in you mind.
      Hope this is helpful

  2. Comment by Tadeusz

    Tadeusz Reply 19 February 2016 at 17:44

    To day I got up *before* the alarm! Regards from Paleochora, Crete.

    • Comment by Crom

      Crom Reply 23 February 2016 at 09:07

      That is the way! Welcome to the club of Winners!!!

  3. Comment by Joel

    Joel Reply 19 April 2016 at 10:27

    Definitely depends on the day ahead of me. If it is the normal routine and I have nothing special to look forwards to, then I might hit snooze once or twice. But if the day has something exciting, like a dinner out with friends, or maybe a vacation or something out of the norm then I will most likely be up and out of bed quickly

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