Chances are you know someone who is living an exciting and adventurous life, and has a career doing what they love. Question is - do you look at them and think, ‘why can’t I have what they do?’ If you really want to have a career and life that you love, you have to stop playing it safe. Here are seven questions to help see if you are hanging on to what you have because you think it’s easier than trying to have something better.
1. Do you daydream about changing your career – but remain stuck in the thought process?
Dreams are where things begin, not where they end.
Follow through on your dreams by creating specific plans/steps to take you from where you are to where you want to be. Be specific, write down five (5) things that you can do to make your next dream more than a thought - a reality.
2. Are you always appearing in the dress rehearsal instead of starring in the actual performance?
It’s one thing to prepare and practice and quite another to live in dress rehearsal mode. If you’re pursuing multiple degrees, constantly taking new courses or doing things to learn new skills but never putting this learning to use – you are stuck in a dress rehearsal mentality. Change your perspective by doing at least three (3) things to put what you have learned into practice.
3. Do you rely heavily on other people’s opinions and input when doing something new?
Whether it’s going back to school, planning a vacation, or changing your hair color or style, stop looking to others to make your decisions. Get input and feedback, however, don’t always opinions and beliefs become your own. Next time you’re thinking about trying something new, gather the information and then act - without having others weigh in or walk you through the process.
4. When things go wrong is the first person on your list of who is responsible – someone else?
There are times when things simply happen to us that are not of our doing, and are not our fault. However, 80% of the time we find ourselves in negative situations simply because we made wrong choices or bad decisions (or failed to make any decision at all). Next time you find yourself wondering why something is the way it is – challenge yourself by taking a hard look at the role that you had to play.
5. Do you hold on to people, places, and things longer than you should?
If you are the type to hold onto bad relationships or even clothing that is no longer useful – chances are you are holding onto a job (and life) that you need to release. The saying, “the devil you know is better than the one you don’t” is only said by people who are afraid to take risks.
Living with anything negative is harmful. However, routine and comfort are ‘riskier’ than you realize because they breed complacency. And, complacency breeds resentment and unhappiness. If you really want to change your life and career – start by changing yourself followed by the people, places and things in it.
6. Do you look to other people for a roadmap on how to live your life?
Reality TV proves that society has an interest in and curiosity about the lives of others. You can gain inspiration from other people but their life is not a roadmap on how to live your own. Learn from the experiences and mistakes of other people but create your own path to live the life you want. Next time you are tempted to make a life choice based solely on how it worked out for someone else – STOP! Remind yourself that no two people travel the same life path and make a decision that is right for you.
7. Do you say you don’t have the time or money to make career and life changes, yet find yourself spending time and money on things that really don’t matter or help you achieve your goals?
We all need downtime, but we also need to spend most of our free hours on things that we like. Stop cheerleading for so many others and become you own biggest fan. Embracing a new lifestyle is not something you
can’t
‘afford’ to do – it’s something you can’t afford NOT to do. Change the way you think about creating the life you desire by asking yourself this – “If I’m not 100% actively involved in getting what I want – how bad do I actually want it?”
Experts believe that somewhere between age 5 and 8, we know if we are going to live life by playing it safe, taking risks, or somewhere in between. As adults, we can change the way we approach life – if we make a concerted effort. This week adopt a new mentality to approach how you do things. Doing so could make you the person that someone else looks at and wishes they had a career and life as interesting as you do.