Become Greater Ep. 57 - Shoulds And Oughts

Are you living a life dictated by what you think you "should" or "ought to" do, rather than what truly resonates with your core self? This episode unpacks the heavy burden of external expectations—from family, society, and culture—and explores how these "shoulds" can lead to a life that feels inauthentic and unfulfilling. Discover how the principles of dedicated physical training, when focused on expanding your own unique capabilities and listening to your body, provide a powerful blueprint for developing self-honesty, internal validation, and the courage to design a life aligned with your deepest values and true desires.Key Insights & Takeaways in This Episode:

• Understanding the "Shoulds" and "Oughts": Identifying these internalized external expectations and recognizing their subtle but powerful influence on your life choices.
• The Cost of Inauthenticity: How living by others' scripts can lead to dissatisfaction, resentment, and a disconnect from your true self, even amidst apparent external success.
• Training for Authenticity: Learn how a physical training philosophy centered on your body's unique potential, functional capability expansion, and internal signals (rather than external ideals) cultivates radical self-honesty and an internal locus of control.
• Building Internal Validation: Discover how the tangible achievements and self-knowledge gained through dedicated physical training reduce the need for external approval often sought by fulfilling "shoulds."
• Practical Steps to Design an Authentic Life:
  • Clarify Your Core Values: Using them as your unwavering internal compass.
  • Tune In to Your Inner Voice: Transferring the skill of listening to your body in training to heeding your intuition and genuine desires in life.
  • Define Your Own Success: Crafting a personal vision of a fulfilling life that transcends societal or familial expectations.
  • Cultivate Courageous Action: Developing the resilience (often forged in physical challenges) to say "no" to misaligned pressures and "yes" to your authentic path.
  • Take Small, Value-Aligned Steps: Understanding that authenticity is built through consistent, conscious choices that reflect who you truly are and what you value.
• The Transferable Strength of Self-Knowledge: Recognizing that the discipline, resilience, and profound self-awareness gained from pursuing your authentic physical potential directly empower you to live more authentically in every other area of your life.

This Week's Challenge:

1. Identify one specific "should" or "ought to" in your life that feels particularly inauthentic or draining to you.
2. Clarify one of your core values that this "should" might be overshadowing.
3. This week, think of one small, tangible step you can take to act more in alignment with that core value, even if it means gently pushing back against that external expectation.

Join the conversation! @joe_cebula