Featured Image Credit: Loic Leray on Unsplash
There are so many what if's and should have-done moments in our life—a moment where we can pursue a passion or a moment we give up or postpone it.
The moment can creep up, surprising us when we least suspect it. You don't feel talented enough to pursue your dreams. Or you want to give it a shot to eliminate regrets.
You may take the safe route, give up risk, and settle down. Only, in life, there isn't a guaranteed safety choice.
Jim Carrey shared the story of his father. A man he said could have been a comedian. His dad decided to do what was best for his family. He became an accountant.
Only it didn't work out as it does in the movies. Jim Carrey's dad lost his safe job, and the family struggled for several years.
You have goals and desires.
No, they are not guaranteed. Thousands of people move to Hollywood or New York City to follow a dream. Many of those people don't get to climb that mountain.
But at least they know the answer. People won't ask themselves, what if?
A woman I met in my office a few years after I started had a dream with her husband. They were getting into home flipping and house rentals. Their goal was to become real estate owners.
Behind her back, I heard some co-workers criticize the choice.
"She'll be back in six months."
"It won't work out."
That is possible.
They might fail. But so what?
If she fails, she can return to some variation of her former job. There are no questions about if she could have made it.
I wish I had done certain things when I was younger. It was never a perfect time. Spend your time working and doing. Don't waste years wanting.
Build the best life you can. Check out these tips to help you maximize your life.
Who do You Want to Become?
What is the version of you that achieves this goal? What are you like? Are you driven? Are you confident?
What do you need to do to become this person?
Most successful rappers, singers, and DJs have prominent personalities. They elevate this personality and turn it up. Do you need to be more entertaining?
If you want to become a leading voice in an industry, how are you with public speaking? Leaders in their field do interviews. Are you someone who would perform well in an interview?
By identifying the traits you'll need in the future, you can start developing them today. It is good to know where you are heading.
Who Are You?
What are your beliefs about yourself? What are your values? How about your principles? What do you stand for?
Have you heard the saying, money changes, people? It isn't the money; it is what comes with the money. Temptations will grow.
Once people succeed, they lose the drive that brought them their initial success. All the trappings of the hard work will attempt to derail what you've done.
By solidifying your values and principles, you can create an unshakable foundation. As a result, you are avoiding the significant issues that plague many of the biggest stars.
It can impact you at any level. Know who you are, and decisions will get easier.
Keep Your Purpose
What matters in your life? Many people start with a desire for things: Cars, houses, boats, and so on. They crave money. But they do not have a proper definition of what a good life is to them.
What happens is people think those things create a good life. They work hard and get them. Then there is emptiness. You have a goal. You have achieved this goal. What's next?
In the book, Man's Search for Meaning, psychologist and holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl gives us the key to life: Purpose. Those with purpose fared better in the harsh conditions of the internment camp.
The same is true today. If you have nothing to drive you beyond that goal, what happens when you reach it?
What is success to you?
What's Next?
There are things we want—our desire to create a different life. Then we believe we must do things—family pressure and commitment to maintaining a particular life.
These battles are inside of us. Your life is yours to live. Mistakes and all, it is your job to try to contribute to the world. What moves you?
There will be risks, but that will always be true.
Decide who you want to be. What traits would you need to get where you want to go? Learn the traits you will benefit from most. You can always build yourself up.
Understand who you are. Your values and principles. Your beliefs. These are important to understand as a foundation. Without this foundation, the path becomes a wasteland of distractions.
Keep your purpose. Maintain the hunger that brings you success. Stay fired up and passionate about something. It may change as you age but have a purpose. Your life will be an adventure.
You have to decide if you want to take risks toward a goal or risks toward another version of your life. I encourage people not to waste years as I have. Take your shots.
You never know what future you may create for yourself and others.