Creating with intention
Different experiences are necessary for growth. Without adventure, how can you see the world in a new way?
You’re not expected to like everything. The important thing is that you do, acquire more information, and grow.
Have you placed yourself in a new situation recently?
You may never see the writing on the wall.
You may never feel one-hundred-percent.
You may never hear, “Yes, you are right.”
You may never know if there was any other way.
Some people live on the edge of what’s possible. They defy expectations and buck norms.
Some people follow what has come before. They do what they are told and stay in line.
Some people wander aimlessly. They dream about “what if” and believe success finds the lucky. They attribute greatness to others, failing to see it in themselves.
The difference lies in the acknowledgement of your worth, the realization of your strengths, confidence in your unique talents (for nobody does it quite like you), and the conversion of belief into action.
A few months ago, I found myself in a room with Seth Godin and a small group of eager entrepreneurs. Seth posed the following question:
“Are you so in love with your problem you’re unwilling to try an imperfect solution?”
This prompted me to wonder how many situations I’ve refused to relinquish control, choosing instead to hold out for that perfect, golden answer that would fix everything in one fell swoop. This refuse to settle mantra has gotten in my way and prevented me from taking steps concrete steps of action.
I know I’m not the only one.
Looking around the room that day, every attendee had scrawled their own dilemmas onto scraps of paper. It may come as no surprise that every one of these problems had a solution that another attendee could devise. It wasn’t that any of these attendees were unexperienced, unintelligent, or unmotivated. Quite the opposite.
We come up with hundreds of reasons why we shouldn’t or can’t, so we don’t. We develop relationships with the problem itself, telling ourselves stories that may or may not be true. We believe our inner dialogue (“It just can’t be done.”), electing inaction over failure and fear. Only the very best for our problems, nothing less!
Of course, we’re able to consider another’s issue with relative calm. As outsiders, we lack the emotional connection and historical weight that the owner carries. We use our own fresh eyes to create probable solutions with creativity and ease, even wondering what the fuss was about in the first place.
Then we arrive at our own obstacles (or put them off for as long as possible), and we’re stuck.
I’d like to ask you the same:
They work best if you’re honest:
What does that sound like to you?
It’s easy to group anxiety, fear, nervousness, and excitement together because we physically experience them in similar ways. What distinguishes these sensations from each other is the lens through which we perceive them.
Fear often stops us in our tracks, preventing us from progression and development. It’s the tree falling directly onto our chosen path, leaving us questioning whether we’re heading down the right road. It’s a powerful paralysis.
Excitement is that green light encouraging us to move forward and do. It provides the permission, space, and courage to dream and make big things happen. A close relative of passion and creativity, excitement feeds and propels one towards action.
How do you interpret your tightening muscles and thumping heart?
Can you slow your breathing just enough to focus on the present moment?
Would the situation change if you rephrased fear as excitement?
Are you stunting your ideas, growth, curiosity, and ability to create?
What it would be like to run towards the situation, instead of away?
Recognize how you assimilate these kinds of experiences. Be the armchair anthropologist of your own life and simply observe. Then, challenge yourself to turn fear into excitement. Practice patience with your fear (and yourself), and use physical sensations as an internal compass. See if you can push past what you’re afraid of and bring excitement to the table.
I’ve found the things that excite and scare me often deliver the greatest rewards.