Making Conscious Choices: Nurturing the Right Cheetah

In this era of information overload, it's become increasingly difficult to distinguish right from wrong, truth from fake. We live in a world where everyone's opinion is valued, and while this fosters inclusivity, it has also led to a lack of common ground and agreement. However, a quote I heard the other day made me pause and think. It was between two friends in TikTok and the guy said "Everything in life is like a battle of two fit cheetahs that constantly fight." At first, I didn't care too much about it but the more I understand it the more I realize the deeper message it hold which potentially can solve most of our problems.

Let me explain. We live in a generation that values self-expression and opinion-sharing. There is a million explanation for every single thing and in the spirit of respecting every one’s opinion and validating feeling, we lost the privileges of agreeing and common sense. We made the world we live in a chaotic shade of grey where you are wrong wherever you stand.

But what I love about this quote is it forces to take a step back and view the world as black and white. There is only two variables there, there is no small cheetahs to makes it grey. There where you want to be and where you are. There comfort and discipline. There is talking a break when you need it and there is making excuses. It forces us to go out of the bubble we created for ourselves.

Briana West, in her book "The Mountain is You," talks about the concept of justification, asserting that our lives are ultimately measured by our outcomes, not our intentions. It's not enough to have good intentions; we must take action and make conscious choices. The battle of the two cheetahs represents the choices we make every day. We can either choose the path of least resistance, making excuses and justifying our actions, or we can embrace discipline and strive for personal growth.

The quote doesn't end with the battle; it continues to crucial question: "It is your life, so which cheetah wins?" The girl's answer surprised me even more: "The one you feed!" This simple yet profound statement reminds us that we have the power to determine the course of our lives. Every action we take, every decision we make, contributes to the growth or stagnation of our journey.

As we step into a new year, it's essential to reflect on the cheetah we are feeding. Are we nurturing the cheetah of comfort, making excuses and shying away from challenges? Or are we cultivating the cheetah of discipline, pushing ourselves to grow and achieve our goals? The choice is ours to make. Because the new year is not just a day no matter how much it feels like it nowadays. It is one year of our lives gone and a beginning of a new one. And by continuously feeding the wrong cheetah, I fear that we will wake up at 80 one day and still be stuck at 17.

Let's set resolutions that challenge us, goals that push us out of our comfort zones, and create vision boards that remind us of the dreams we want to achieve. It's easy to listen to the voice of skepticism that shouts "cringe", the one that tells us we can't do it or that it's too late. But that voice won't be there when we achieve our desired outcomes. Regret, on the other hand, will be there, and it will be louder.

So let's ignore the skeptics, silence our inner doubts, and take bold steps towards our dreams. Let's feed the cheetah of discipline, determination, and perseverance. Let's embrace challenges as opportunities for growth and let go of the excuses that hold us back. This year, let's make a commitment to ourselves to make every day count, to face our fears head-on, and to never settle for mediocrity.

Happy New Year!