We all know that life has its challenges at every stage. And while not all challenges are equal (the problem of having to evacuate your home due to war or natural disaster versus not being able to pay a credit card bill) they do make us who we are and can affect the way we look at the world.
Well, a lot of those challenges are scary. I, like most people, would rather not face them and just let things be…Don’t. Rock. The. Boat. However, our biggest test of integrity, character, and loyalty are never during calm waves.
So why shake things up? Whether you had enough at work or enough at home, or its come down to some ultimatum and you need to choose — sometimes you have to do the thing that scares you the most.
Overcome your worst enemy — You
Yes, you are. I know you read the self-help books about “loving yourself better”, but really when it comes to taking the big risks in life, sometimes we are our own worst enemy. We stay in denial (I’m still avoiding this month’s bank statement); we brood, procrastinate, and yes even put ourselves down. But honestly, how many people in your life have explicitly told you that you CAN’T do something? Now, take that very short list and order it by the one who is constantly saying it the most. I’m sure the number one spot is YOU.
Overcoming your enemy means having to face yourself and confront why you may be self-sabotaging. Simply put– you can’t move forward, if you’re holding yourself back.
Life is too short to die with regrets
Why are you alive?
I don’t know why I’m alive today. I wish I could say that there is a higher calling for me, but a mix of luck and fate has brought me to today, May 29, 2016. I don’t know if it will extend tomorrow. I could have easily died in a car crash years ago or end up as one of those missing college co-eds…what I’m basically saying is that unless you live locked up in a padded room, you’ll never know when your ticket is up. There’s nothing you can do to prevent that. So, if you had 6 days left to live, could you look back and say that you lived life to the fullest and have no regrets?
If you hate your job, quit it. If you want to go somewhere, go. If you want to date/marry someone, ask him/her. If you want to break up, talk to him/her. If you need to talk, then talk. The time will never “be right”, but the time is now. I know it sounds too simple, but the truth is you already know what needs to be done, so stop waiting.
Your breakthrough will inspire others
Everyone has bullshit in their life that they can very well do without. Even that guy with the really green lawn that half the neighborhood is always talking about “crossing over to”. What they forget to mention is that although his grass is greener, the roof is caving in (and I don’t know about you, but I’d rather have shitty lawn problems, than a leaky roof). However, not everyone deals with their problems in the same way.
Your breakthrough can inspire someone else to get out of their rut. It dares them to challenge themselves, “If Bob can do it, why can’t I?!” When I first started my blog, I was nervous about putting a very vulnerable part of me on the internet for people to critique or outright lambast. But nearly four years later, I can say it is the most rewarding thing I have chosen to do, and I didn’t even want to do it in the first place. Its even more rewarding when I can tell you how many other folks I know who also started blogging since I did, or even those curious in publishing too.
But heck, even if Joe doesn’t start to water his lawn like his neighbor, at least you have the triumph of defeating all the nay-sayers and haters who didn’t think you had the balls to do it: yourself.
So, let’s start small. If you can change something in your life, in the next 24 hours — what will (not could, but will) you do?
Tell me @ReporterandGirl or on Facebook.
