There comes a time when we must choose: do we follow our convictions or conform? There are a few telltale signs of conformity: a reasonably priced sedan and a cushy job complete with your very own cubicle. Your career might be stifled by phrases like “Wait your turn” and “Earn your keep.”

Those of us who choose our convictions, as opposed to the path of least resistance, are charting a new course. Instead of waiting our turn, we are making our own way.

And, we won’t do what we are told; we will do the work in which we believe.
 You can continue to follow their rules. But know that as long as you play by someone else’s instructions, you will always be a cog in the conformity machine.

And, once you’re brainwashed into accepting the status quo and conforming to social norms, it’s hard to break free. Because once you’re in the grasp, the machine will crush you to maintain power.

To take the power back, you have to reinvent yourself. You have to do things that suck – if you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always had. If you want to stop following, and start leading, you have to do things that suck. Ever heard of bootstrapping? It’s where you rely on yourself: work more and spend less. You should bootstrap your life.

Since you told your boss to fuck off and went into business for yourself, you’ll actually have to earn your paycheck. Now that you’re self-employed, business hours and weekends do not exist. So, step your game up, do the work and get shit done. Walk the talk – talking about getting shit done is a sign that – in fact – nothing is getting done. Therefore, the only logical solution would be to stop talking and start doing.

It doesn’t matter how many girls you pick up with your bullshit story about being an entrepreneur. At some point you have to have an idea, a business or a product. So, stop talking about all of the great things you are going to do, and do something already. Explanations and excuses are useless, because results speak for themselves.

Create your own success – everyone wants to know the secret to success, it’s simple really: don’t ask for permission to do epic work and don’t apologize for making waves.

When you do something right, and start making noise, the people in power will take notice. So don’t wait for success to come to you, create it yourself. Be confident in your abilities and clueless to failure. Yes, using your convictions as motivation is risky. It’s also scary as hell. You might even have trouble breathing, like your asthma is flaring up.

So, you freak out and begin a frantic search for your inhaler. Except, at some point, you remember that you don’t have asthma. You’re having a panic attack. But, everything will be fine – deep breath. This is what work feels like and it feels like that for everyone.

Creating something or replacing bad habits with newer, better ones is painful. If you’re not overwhelmed with emotion and stress, you’re only thinking about doing the work. You’re still all talk. But, if you actually do what it takes to make a change, to reinvent yourself, things will never be the same.

Once the hustle gets in your veins, failure will cease to exist, doubt will disappear and you will have taken back control of your life. The only thing left to do is choose: comfort or convictions. What’s your move?

Joe Vennare | Elite.