Friday, June 24, 2011

Changing Course

I want to let you in on a little secret…
It’s O.K. to change your plans.
Turn about face. Pivot. Take a 180.
We live in a world which punishes those who take actions to correct a mistake or a course.
Wishy-washy, we call them. Flip-floppers. Unstable. Irresponsible. Lazy. Whimsical.
A whole host of terms with negative connotations for people who take abrupt action to change their course, especially when that course may have been a recent decision.
I’ve been talking a lot about “consciousness” in your life’s direction – and “flexibility” in how you structure your life.
Part of this is realizing when things need reversed.
It’s o.k. to sell your house for less than you paid for it – if you realize that freedom is worth more than the loss.
It’s o.k. to settle down and buy a home – if you know that’s the right decision for your family.
It’s o.k. to pull your children out of public schools – if that’s what you truly believe is best for them.
It’s o.k. to put your homeschooled children back into a public school – if you change your mind.
It’s o.k. to sell something you just bought – if you realize you no longer need it (or never needed it).
It’s o.k. to spend money on things that bring joy, purpose, or value into your life – even if you are paying off debt.
It’s o.k. to move into an RV, a sailboat, a truck with a rooftop tent, or a cabin in the woods – if you crave to explore these living arrangements.
It’s o.k. to quit backpacking around the world – if you no longer realize it fits with your current goals and passions.
It’s o.k. to shut down the business you recently launched and take a corporate job – if that’s what you are being called to do.
It’s o.k. to quit your new promising career and pave your own path – if you know deep down you’ll do what it take to make it a reality.
*****
Realizing you’ve started down the wrong path – and correcting course – is admirable.
It’s a trait that’s far too uncommon these days. It’s a principle that should be praised, not ridiculed.
Staying with a condition in your life that you no longer believe in – just because you picked that path 12 months earlier – is insane.
People will challenge you. Most will criticize out of fear. They’re afraid of what similar changes might mean for their own life.
If you take advice from people who are scared – don’t be surprised when you end up trapped in fear yourself.
*****
What’s one decision or condition in your life that needs reversing?
Go ahead and flip-flop.
It’ll be o.k

The last part of this is what really struck me: Not taking advice from people who live their life in fear. I've never in my life had so many people tell me that I couldn't or shouldn't do something. From moving, to opening a business, even getting engaged. Everyone has an opinion, and these opinions seem to be based mostly on fear and fear of change. Not only are people afraid of change in their own life, but they seem to be afraid of change in others as well. For me personally, I've never really lived my life in fear which I think stems from a place of craving the collecting of experiences. I think all the time about the possibility of my relationship failing, my business failing, ending up with nothing, etc. 
But do you ever end up with nothing? Bad decisions make good stories.
But maybe the fear is a defense mechanism. If you don't believe you can do something, can you ever be successful? For me, the trick is to just jump. Know that there are no consequences in the negative sense, and no rules. Its all nothing more than a ride.

No comments:

Post a Comment