While perusing my usual blogs this morning, it came to me that through my long term goal setting, I’ve managed to jump off of the wheel. I no longer get to say to people, “Oh, I’m off to the rat race.” as I slump out of the house.
Instead, I get to say, “I’m off to the Qi-mines” and wander off, on my own time to enjoy my entire day meeting amazing people and enjoying the fact that I help people feel better!
How long have you wanted to quit your job, go back to school, start a new art form, become a musician or generally make a major change in your life?
What is stopping you?
For me it began about 12 years ago when I first began to look at simplifying my life and trying to decide just what it was I was supposed to be doing. At first it was all about figuring out how to make money, but over the years its become more about being happy and satisfied, than making money.
Today I realized that while I may not be in the income bracket that I am shooting for I am getting closer with each step. I am, however happy. I’ve achieved an incredibly high level of personal satisfaction and happiness in my life.
What keeps you from simply jumping?
Sure, its scary and you have no idea what you will end up with half of the time, but think… you COULD plan it, couldn’t you? A colleague of mine recently downsized her living situation and revamped her entire lifestyle so that she can take off six months and travel and spend that time figuring out what her future is about. She’s clear that when she gets home, she’ll have a new plan.
Fear often keeps us from jumping. What do you fear? How can you alleviate those fears? Keep a journal and write down every single reason that you “shouldn’t” change. Then one by one start smashing and removing those obstacles. Or, if they aren’t movable, find a way to work with them and make them help you.
What did you end up with?
Either you choose it consciously, or you float into it by “accident” but you have chosen your life as you live it now. Your house, partner, car, kids, bills, bike and happiness are all a result of an action or set of actions you took. Its time to start doing these things with intention. Each time you need to make a decision, even the little ones, it may help you to ask, “To what end?” Does this action lead you to self support and toward the desired result?
Still too Scared to Jump?
- I couldn’t quit my job, I’d starve!
- I don’t know how to make that work!
- I have to pay the bills!
- I want to be X, but I don’t know that much about being X, maybe I’m too stupid!
First off, the starving, work and bills all have to do with input and output. If you require less output, you need less input. Obvious, I know, but prioritizing your life’s goals versus what makes you feel good right now for a while can get you to a place where you can make the jump toward doing that which you truley desire to do.
Not knowing enough about what you desire is actually one excuse I hear about often, but it is one you don’t see around the blogs much. You want to go to school, but paperwork has kept you from applying for years. You want to move to another city but are unsure how you’ll make new friends. Its just a huge black hole of UNKNOWING, right?
Recently I was speaking with a woman who had been retired for a few years and had wanted her entire life, to take an around the world trip. She had the money, she had the freedom, but she said, “It all just seems like a lot of details and I wouldn’t know where to start”. She’s fairly young, free and would be otherwise worry free during her trip, yet the planning itself seemed too difficult to get her started.
Put one foot in front of the other
The first step is always the hardest. Try poking into it a bit. Look up some travel sites, call the school, get a book from the library, or take any other simple, first step and get started. Once you get even just a little bit of knowledge, the rest comes easier.
Take a deep breath tonight before you fall asleep. Take a few of them and really imagine what your body would feel like if it wasn’t on this constant trip of neverending stress that you put it through.
Take that persona off for just a day and see how it feels. What could you achieve? Who could you be?
More importantly, can you dare not to?