I've been doing a lot of self reflection over the past few weeks . I have been thinking about all of the things I've done, the decisions I've made, the cool people I've met and of course what the future holds. We all go through it....
Do you believe you have more to contribute to this world? Do you lay awake at night thinking about starting a business? Or maybe you have an awesome idea, but keep talking yourself out of bringing it up to your boss.
You read inspirational quotes about making a living pursuing your passion, but then you start thinking about the bills you have to pay and the people in your life who depend on you. We're all pretty good at talking ourselves out of the things we want most, aren't we?
We all have a passion. That one thing we can't go a day without thinking about and deep down believe is necessary to create and get out into the world. Some people figure out how to pursue it while others choose to believe there is no way they can achieve their dreams.
I believe that whether you own a business or work for someone else, you can start something that provides the opportunity to fulfill your passion which is why I was very drawn to author and speaker, Pamela Slim. I had the opportunity to meet her at a conference last year and she is awesome.
Her blog, Escape From Cubicle Nation, has been recognized as one of the best business blogs around. First of all, the name alone is pretty cool and resonates with many people and second, her content is extremely helpful to anyone who is looking to start something new and figure out a way to pursue work they enjoy doing.
Is there something you have been meaning to do with your life? Learn a new language, read more, volunteer, start a blog, change careers, start investing your money, etc.? You think about it every day and your intention is always to get started. In fact, most days you believe that today will be that day.
But then you get out of bed and the craziness of life happens and before you know it another day has passed and you are no closer to accomplishing that one idea you are passionate about pursuing.
Why do we do this? Why do we allow ourselves to get comfortable with the way things are instead of taking even one small step towards the things we want most?
It is so easy to go about our days doing the same thing over and over. We are creatures of habit and get comfortable with our routines. This isn't always a bad thing, but when we have a desire to make changes in our lives and start something new, we have to be bold and step outside of our comfort zone.
Do you ever wonder how some people get so much done? They create oodles of content on a regular basis, are out and about connecting with people, building their business, and still make it to the gym and spend quality time with their family and friends.
Highly productive people fascinate me. I love learning what gets them up in the morning and ultimately motivates them to go out and fiercely pursue their dreams and make big things happen. I recently read an article in Fast Company magazine featuring 11 Expert Tips to Help You Be More Productive in 2014. It's a good read so check it out and get your productivity on.
One tip shared was to put your brain on autopilot for the small stuff. I laughed when I read that Prerna Gupta, Chief Product Officer of social music app Smule says she’s able to tackle big picture problems by eating the exact same thing for breakfast and lunch every day. I used to think I was boring for eating the same breakfast most mornings, but now I'll chalk it up to improving my productivity. Love that.
What am I going to do?
It's the question that rolls around in our minds when we are faced with certain life situations where the answer isn't as obvious as we would like it to be. Should I take that job? Should I break up with my boyfriend? Is now the time to finally start my business? Should I invest that much money into a business coach?
Oh, it is never ending isn't it? It's all of these things that make life so much fun. And it's also the excuse we need to get our girlfriends together with a nice bottle of wine, deep conversation and most likely their thoughtful advice.
When we ask for advice, most of the time what we are really looking for is an answer. We want to know what we should do and since we can't make up our minds, we turn to our friends, colleagues, mentors, etc. in hopes that they can shed some light on the situation and ultimately tell us what to do. Shame on us for trying to take the easy way out. We should know by now that the only person who knows what we should do is ourselves.
I will never forget the words of Dr. John Maxwell during one of his presentations. He talked about what it takes to go after your dreams. He shared that after giving a speech one day a young man came up to him and said, "Dr. Maxwell, I want to do what you do. I want to get paid to speak in front of big groups of people."
Dr. Maxwell smiled, looked at the bright eyed and clearly excited young man and said, "You want to do what I do, but are you willing to do everything I've done in order to get to do what I do?"
Well put, I thought, as I began to think about my career, what I have done, what I still want to do and what else I am going to need to do in order to get there. We all know there is no magic bullet to success, but I think in today's world of instant gratification, sometimes we fool ourselves into thinking we are going to get there quicker, faster and will less bumps in the road than those before us.
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