Do The Thing
Has there been anything you’ve wanted to do, but too scared to go for it? What are the reasons holding you back? Think back to a time when you have taken a risk. I’m not talking about gambling at the casino type of risk, but a calculated risk. Was it worth it, or did it totally crush your life? I believe more good than harm comes from taking such a risk, whether it all works out, or maybe it doesn’t go as planned, but at least now you know and probably learned some valuable lessons in the process.
Maybe you’re like me and think about all of the potential “what if” situations and freak yourself out to the point where you don’t even make steps to let your desires become a reality. Allowing yourself to process those scary what if’s, and move forward is the hardest part. When I ran and trained for the marathons I’ve ran in the past, the hardest part by far was training my mentality. I am a firm believer that not “doing the thing” is a lot scarier than staying right where you are, and letting yourself become complacent with life.
We have one life to live (depending on your religion because if that’s not the case, that’s cool too), and you have to be the one to decide whether it’s going to be a life staying in the comfort zone, or if you want to see what else life has to offer. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with staying in your same job or company, or living in the same city for your whole life, but there are also so many other opportunities out there that you could also enjoy. We live day to day hoping for the weekends to get here asap, and then before you know it we’re celebrating the next year. We push back on making that next big thing happen because we’re scared to go for it, or we make excuses telling ourselves it’s just not possible.
I always thought that I was just very picky when it came to dating, until one random day after college graduation I had this spontaneous thought go through my head while riding in the car with my mom of “what if I change my tinder to girls?” Game over. I was so nervous for everything that came with doing that, but now after seven years, I’m married to the best person I know knowing that was the best decision I could’ve made for myself regardless of what others thought. I’m finally realizing that people will always judge you no matter what, and we have to become confident enough in ourselves to not let it bother us.
Recently, I decided I was going to back to school for nursing because it was something I’ve thought about since college, and the thought never left my brain. I got my CNA right away, enrolled in online prerequisite classes, and also started a part-time job as a CNA in addition to my full-time job. I was so excited, yet scared shitless at the same time for this life change as I finally felt like I was chasing my dreams. Life had other plans as I quickly became so overwhelmed with the job and the classes on top of my other jobs, that I was asking myself “is this really what I want in life”? I was coming home almost every shift and would just cry because I was so overwhelmed and caught off guard by how much I disliked the work and schooling. I soon quit my part-time CNA job and withdrew from classes. Sure, I was out some money, but it helped me realize that I’m never stuck in anything that I don’t want to do in life. At least now I have the relief of knowing this isn’t for me, and I won’t keep wondering and wishing I was a nurse because I know it’s not my thing (props to all of you nurses out there!).
I had to remind myself several times that life is not supposed to be so stressful. I’m not saying things should come easy by any means, but if you find yourself constantly stressed out, get to the root of the problem, and fix it. It’s not just going to magically get better on its own or by crying it out. The one motivator I clutched onto to keep moving forward with nursing was knowing that we could move anywhere with no problems of finding a job. My wife and I have always talked about getting out of Iowa for a few years as if it were never going to happen because of the what if’s that came with that conversation.
I’m slowly realizing that I am my biggest barrier in what I want in this life. I’ve realized that I don’t have to change careers to have the courage to move to a different place. I love the job I’m currently in which has made me shy away from moving, but what’s to say there’s not another job out there that I also won’t love that will provide me with the adventure that I’m currently looking for? At the end of the week, I’m going to work to give my life some sort of purpose, but also because I want to make money to pay for the things I have, and for vacations to go on.
To have a job you like is so important, but also so is living your life to the fullest. Do not let your work consume you, make you so stressed out, or steer you away from making a change. Don’t let money and the worries that come along with it completely dictate how you’re going to live your life. As my dad always tells me, you can’t take it with you when you go, so make the money, save enough of your money, and make some damn good memories. There’s a reason why thoughts continue to linger in your brain for a while, and what’s going to happen to those thoughts if you don’t address them? I hope you confess your feelings for someone, end that toxic relationship even though it’s hard, get a new job if you feel stuck, make the move to see the world, etc. As the one book title says, everything is figureoutable. Become the pilot of your own life, and ‘do the thing’.
