You may be one of the few people genuinely living their real life.
But, if not, why?
Why aren’t you already well on your way to living as your best self in the life you were made for?
Instead of experiencing fulfilment, meaning and vigour, why do you feel frustrated about your lack of progress towards the ‘success’ you long for?
If you’re anything like me, you’ve talked yourself into a corner surrounded by issues and blockages—a multitude of reasons and excuses why you haven’t got what it takes. These reasons have you pinned down and unable to move.
The more time you spend in that corner, the bigger those issues seem, and the more real those excuses become.
Then there’s the fear.
Fear that, even if you could find a way through, you won’t be able to pull it off—that your efforts will fail, your goals will be missed, and ‘success’ will forever evade you. This fear suffocates your enthusiasm until you settle for existence in the status quo.
But you weren’t made to settle. The status quo is a place you were never meant to be. You were made to live. To ‘have a go’.
You were made to write a story of failed attempts and frustrations, all outweighed by the joy of becoming the person you truly are. Wouldn’t you rather live the life you were made for than lead a ‘play it safe’ existence filled with nothing at all?
I know I would.
And I do live that life—complete with stories of failures that far exceed stories of rip-roaring success.
And I’m fine with that. Because I know that, as uncomfortable as it is, this is the life I am made to live. If I don’t live it, my stories will be empty—filled with ‘what if’, ‘maybe’ and regret.
And those are stories I have no desire to tell.
So, how do you overcome the obstacles before you and the paralysis they induce, so you can write your own stories of attempts, mistakes, and maybe even successes?
You get real, you get brutal, and you get honest.
Take the time to pull out every reason and excuse that has pinned you into that corner:
“I don’t have enough finance.” “I have too many responsibilities.” “I don’t know where to start.” “I’ll let down my family if I change course.” “People will think I’ve gone crazy.” “This is way too scary.” You know what they are.
Then challenge every single one. Pull them apart until nothing remains.
Remember, be honest, be brutal and hold nothing back.
When all is said and done, is any one of those thingsyou are allowing to hold you back really a reason not to start the adventure into your real life? Is there truly no way to overcome it?
No one ever said following your dream would be easy. We just want it to be easy. But all that wanting the easy path means is that when we hit blockages we find it all too easy to throw in the towel.
In reality, few if any of your excuses will be genuinely insurmountable. It may be hard, even frightening, but they can be overcome.
Does anyone ever have ‘enough’ time, money or freedom from responsibility?
Even if you think that maybe you do, no matter how much you have, your adventure will almost always demand more. There are never enough hours in the day, but with better time management and adjusted priorities, for example, you can make it work.
Maybe people will think you’ve gone slightly mad, but they haven’t got the courage to follow in your footsteps. So, who cares what they think.
Bottom line: whatever your excuse, there is almost always a way over, through or around it.
So, what’s holding you back? Isn’t it time to stop making excuses and start living your real life?
