Dare to Be Bold

"Our arts, our occupations, our marriages, our religion, we have not chosen, but society has chosen for us. We are parlour soldiers. We shun the rugged battle of fate, where strength is born."

 ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Day 7 Assignment by Matt Cheuvront:

The idea of “being realistic” holds all of us back. From starting a business or quitting a job to dating someone who may not be our type or moving to a new place – getting “real” often means putting your dreams on hold.

Today, let’s take a step away from rational thought and dare to be bold. What’s one thing you’ve always wanted to accomplish but have been afraid to pursue? Write it down. Also write down the obstacles in your way of reaching your goal. Finally, write down a tangible plan to overcome each obstacle.

The only thing left is to, you know, actually go make it happen. What are you waiting for?

I'm not sure there is anything that I've wanted to accomplish but been afraid to pursue. There are things I want to accomplish but simply haven't. I've plugged away at some, put others on the back burner until my life is less complicated, tried accomplish some things and failed or lost interest along the way. Now, I fully realize that some of these behaviors could indicate fear. But, for the most part, I think I do try to accomplish the things I want to do in spite of fear.

“Next to Resistance, rational thought is the artist or entrepreneurs worst enemy. Bad things happen when we employ rational thought, because rational thought comes from the ego. Instead, we want to work from the Self, that is, from instinct and intuition, from the unconscious."

If I had to chose a single thing that I want to accomplish more than anything right now, it would have to be a successful side business (or two or three). I desperately want a source of income that isn't tied to a job that requires my presence from 8 to 5 (or 6, or 7, or whenever) in order to get paid.

Don't get me wrong, I love my job. In fact, if I did have another source of income, I would probably still want to do what I'm doing. I have an immense amount of respect for the man I work for, and truly enjoy many aspects of what I do. However, I would probably want to hire someone to do the more mundane aspects of my job so that I could focus more on the creative aspects, and also be able to set my own schedule.

"A child has no trouble believing the unbelievable, nor does the genius or the madman. Its only you and I, with our big brains and our tiny hearts, who doubt and overthink and hesitate.” 

 ~ Steven Pressfield, Do the Work

Does being realistic hold me back at times? You bet! There are times I look at where I am and where I want to be and think there is no way to get there. But then all I have to do is look back from where I am to where I used to be, and I realize all over again that

"...with God, all things are possible."

 ~ Matthew 19:26

So, what are the obstacles in my way of reaching my goal?

As I see it, Time and Distractions.

There are activities in my life that I fully chose at one point in time, but that no longer serve me. I need to release these and move on. Reality gets in my way here. The other thing that comes up for me again and again is focus. I have so many distractions in my life that I have to learned to deal with or ignore or put on the back burner so that I can focus on one thing at a time and achieve success.

So, what's the plan, Stan? I need to focus on my goal the same way I focus on my day job. If I schedule a certain block of time each day to work on my business and not let anything interrupt my work or shift my focus, here is no reason I can't successfully accomplish my goal. Step One: set a work schedule, Step Two: get rid of distractions, unsubscribe from email lists; re-home some rescues (anyone want a dog or a cat?); declutter my environment; delegate some of the chores around the house instead of trying to "do it all" (which usually results in it not getting done which is a distraction in and of itself!).

The things is, I'm so close to my launch, I can't imagine that with laser-like focus I can't accomplish this goal within the next 2-3 weeks.

"Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but only one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain."

 ~ 1 Corinthians 9:24

#Trust30 Day Seven