Stop Doing Nothing

Sometimes, we get caught up in not knowing what we want and we don't do anything. We spend too much time thinking and too little time doing. If you aren't sure what you want or if you aren't sure what your goals should be, start doing anything. The act of doing will help get you on the path to finding what you are searching for, even if you really aren't sure what that is.

Not knowing what you want to do can be stressful. You look around and see all these people who you assume have it figured out. They appear to be happy and doing what they love to do. Some may really know and have found it. Others are like you, not really sure, and are just doing what they always do. Still others aren't sure, but are trying new things, experimenting, taking chances and constantly pushing forward. This is what you need to be doing.

Just as in my last post, you are going to get it wrong sometimes. You are going to try things you hate. That's okay...it may not bring you closer to finding what you want, but you can cross one thing off your list of possibilities. Take classes. Talk to people about what they are doing and what they love to do. Do something new and different. Surround yourself with people who are constantly experimenting and you will find it becomes easier to do the same. If you surround yourself with people who aren't happy, who aren't sure what they want and who aren't doing anything about it, you will also find yourself doing the same.

Be bold. Say yes to more offers. Switch things up and just start searching for things you haven't tried. Don't get discouraged. Keep doing and things will start to fall in to place. You don't need to have your whole life planned out, you just need to stop sitting around doing nothing. Your life will never change unless you change what you are doing. Expand your horizons and just go. You never know what will happen until you try.

Be Decisive

There are going to be times when you are faced with a decision and you aren't sure what to choose. You are going to think about the pros and cons of each and weigh them in your mind and you are still going to be no closer to making the call. It's times like these where we have to learn to trust our intuition and just take a chance. Yes, sometimes you just have to take chances.

Sometimes you are going to get it right. Other times, it won't seem that way. The key is to make a choice. If you don't know which one to choose and choose neither, then you aren't really doing anything but existing. You will never know what is going to happen until you make the choice and start down the path. If you love it, great! If you hate it, make a choice to move in a different direction.

At times when you have to choose between staying the course and tryings something new, I would almost always choose something new. Staying the course can be the right choice, but if you are anything like me, you constantly search from something new and different. The only time I would consider staying the course is when things are going really well and you are completely happy and satisfied. Even then, I would always consider the new path. While making the choice to do something new can be intimidating, it also can bring things never imagined.

Don't hesitate. Don't procrastinate. If you have to flip a coin, flip a coin. I don't care how you ultimately make the decision, but just be sure to make one. We spend way too much of our time wondering what will happen if, but not actually doing something to find out. Be decisive and try something new. You never know what will happen unless you take a chance and make the choice.  

Explore. Dream. Discover.

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

—	Mark Twain

The older I get, the more this quote resonates with me. I look around at all I have and all I have done and wonder. I wonder if I am doing the things I should be doing. I wonder if the life I have found is the one I truly want. I wonder if the path I am following is the right path or if I should take one of the many branches along the way.

I have done many different things in my life. While I haven't always let fear hold me back, I know there are times I have. I have moved back and forth from the Midwest to the East Coast a number of times; I have quit soul-numbing jobs without having a real plan and landed on my feet; I have spent some time in law school; I have spent time combining some passions with work. But, I still feel I should have done and should be doing more.

When we look back on our lives, will we be satisfied with what we have accomplished and the things we own. Will we be happy we spent so much time working jobs to pay the mortgage, to buy the things we think we want, to live the life others think we should live? Or, will we be disappointed we didn't do more learning or traveling or relaxing or conversing or helping others? What can we change today to help drive us towards throwing off the bowlines?

Many of us confuse being stable with being happy. For some people, these are one in the same. In my world, stability is a good thing, but it doesn't set my soul on fire. It doesn't drive my passions and it doesn't allow exploration, dreaming or discovering. Is it possible to have both? Maybe, but I don't think so. To really explore, dream and discover, you have to take risks. You have to push boundaries, constantly search and question. You have to leave the safety of stability, get out of your comfort zones and see where the winds take you. Do something new. Take a chance. Figure it out as you go.