Life is cumulative. As long as you are a living, breathing, human being you have the ability to change the direction of your life for the better.
Arthur understood that all of life was cumulative. It was cumulative stress from jumping out of planes that injured his back. It was an accumulation of years of inactivity and poor diet that lead to his debilitated state. And it was an accumulation of daily disciplines that lead him back to health.
The greatest danger in depression is the loss of hope. Depression makes us look at life and all of the things that we can’t do. You’ll never get that girl, you’re too boring. You’ll never get that job, you don’t have the energy. You’ll never be happy, because look at how depressed you are now! All of those are true statements. But they miss the big picture entirely. You don’t HAVE to turn your life around in an instant! You don’t HAVE to accomplish all of your goals immediately, and you won’t! You only need to take very small steps each day. Each day be a little stronger. Each day be a little happier. And that’s it. Soon you’ll have built the life of your dreams through the accumulation of small daily successes.
Two Apps to Help Your Journey
Chains.cc – Write down goals and swipe them right after you’ve completed that goal for the day. The key to success here is to make it small enough that you won’t be too fussed about completing it. Since I’ve started using this method of daily goals I’ve meditated for 20 minutes every day, spent 5 minute cleaning up my room, and wrote 500 words for 24 days in a row now. All tasks that I previously struggled to complete. This is based on The Seinfeld Method.
Superbetter – “SuperBetter helps you achieve your health goals — or recover from an illness or injury — by increasing your personal resilience. Resilience means staying curious, optimistic and motivated even in the face of the toughest challenges.” While I haven’t personally tried it, I hear it’s awesome. Give it a try.