With an endless pool of possibilities to shoot for in life, it’s no wonder millions are struggling – borderline paralyzed – with the thought of which path / passion / purpose to choose.
Look, I get a bunch of messages, daily, that revolve around the same theme. Maybe it’s asked in all kinds of different ways, but the sentiment is 100% related.
Is the suspense killing you? Here’s the overriding thought:
“What do I do with my life?”
And, I guess, there’s something in the air right now – so close to New Year’s – because these specific messages are coming in faster and with greater intensity.
You know, like…
“I’m lost in all these different ideas and skillsets!”
“Will you just tell me what to focus on?”
“How can I find my passion, though?”
Let’s get to the bottom of this because I don’t want to see you squandering anymore. Ain’t nobody got time for that!
I want you to imagine that you are standing now in front of a pool of water. It’s 6:00 a.m. You’re in the Midwest, and it’s early fall. You know that pool of water is frigid. Freezing cold.
Now, you’ve got two choices:
- Jump in the pool and swim around.
- Dip your toe in to see if maybe it’s heated or if, in fact, it’s freezing cold (and you’ll end up with hypothermia).
Which are you going to pick? Well, hopefully, you’re smart enough to go, “Yeah, duh, I’m going to dip my toe in that pool. I don’t want to be freezing cold. I don’t want that painful experience of submerging myself in ice cold water.”
Now, I want you to realize that’s exactly what you should be doing with your life. Dipping your toe into the pool of possibilities.
But, sadly, most of you STILL won’t do this. You’ve been conditioned to believe that you have to go all in, head first, and fully submerged. The irony is, though, you won’t really go all in, anyway. The thought of messing up your whole life or being terribly uncomfortable or doing anything which causes unnecessary pain… is almost always going to (perhaps subconsciously) force you to keep searching for more evidence or proof or research about the “right” decision to make.
The vicious cycle continues.
So, please. Listen. Take this advice seriously, mmmkay? If you’re struggling with what to do next, figuring out your passion, and all that… you’re never going to know unless you dabble. You’re never going to take action until you give yourself permission to fail. Not just permission, you must give yourself a directive to make it messy.
So my call to action, my challenge to you today is to think of one thing that you’re a little bit nervous to try. It’s got your interest piqued:
- You’re a little bit curious about becoming a personal trainer.
- You wonder what it might be like to be a therapist.
- You’ve always thought about art and how that might actually be your true passion.
Whatever that thing is that’s quietly creating momentum in the back of your head, I just want you to dip your toe in the pool.
Do something specific in the next 72 hours related to that thing you’re curious about. There’s no need to make a definitive statement, i.e., tell anyone you’re doing this. Just dip that toe, baby!
Check it out, I’m able to really go hard in the paint on perfectionism and use real-life anecdotes from lifers (who have lost – or never found – direction) in my podcast, titled: What Should You Do With Your Life? – featured on Build Your Tribe. I have a feeling it’s going to resonate. Let me know!
