I've been meeting a lot of truly smart, savvy, remarkable people lately. So many are saying to hell with the safety net, and are leaping toward their passions, and haven't looked back since.
On the same token, however, so many of those smart, savvy, remarkable people are not.
Frankly, this makes me want to burst into tears and heave a cartful of lemon tarts at someone.
I'm dangerous like that.
Being a naturally curious person, I'm prone to asking why a lot. Why aren't you leaping toward your passion? If you're not happy where you are, then why not change it? What's preventing you from living the life you wish you were?
I have this annoyingly obsessive need to know the answers to these things. We're capable of doing so much, yet don't take advantage of the opportunities that are available to us. By “doing so much,” that isn't to imply that more is better, because it's too often the case that we're already doing so many things that we've created a self-imposed prison of sorts; we're prisoners to our own lives, and we can't get off the treadmill.
It isn't a matter of quantity; it's a matter of quality. It isn't about doing more; it's about reflecting on what it is we're already doing, and assessing whether or not what we're doing make sense in line with who we want to be.
You are the sum of the collection of things you do.
On the surface, that may sound superficial–I am not defined just what I do, but what I think and what ideas I have!
Sure thing, cowboy–ideas are great, but an idea will only take you so far without action.
If you aren't willing to take your ideas and thoughts and turn them into something tangible, then in a tragic sort of way they become nearly useless. Sure, there's some value in critical thinking by itself, but there needs to be a product of that critical thought in order for it to truly become meaningful.
Ideas are magical. They have the power to transform your entire life, if only you'll pay attention to them and then do something with them.
The only time something is “just a dream” is when you allow it to be.
In this sense, we're not just prisoners to our own lives, but…
…we're volunteering to be.