What kind of a change-agent will I be? What kind of a parent might I be? Will I make a difference in the world through my writing, entrepreneurship, both, or something else? Can I create material impact? What kind of an athlete could I have been; and could I build parts of that potential despite long-term injuries, and decades later than typical? Do I have the ability to travel to a culturally rich hotspot in the middle-east on my own? How long will it take to become this new iteration of me?
None of these questions can be answered just by thinking. They require action. We will never know what kind of <insert dream here> we could be until we start walking and falling on that path. The key is knowing which path is ours and which isn’t. Not which we have decided is ours because of optics and others expectations of us.
The kicker is that sometimes it’s not that easy to parse out which hopes and dreams are intrinsically ours, which have been lovingly welcomed through osmosis with others, and which are not ours and should be gracefully set aside. That osmosis by the way isn’t a bad thing, it’s a natural offshoot of human bonding and can be healthy or unhealthy based on the situation. It takes a heavy dose of self-reflection and honesty to know oneself and acknowledge that while a path may speak to us, we may not be well-suited for it yet, or suited within a certain context, or ever.
Perhaps this question can help clarify if it’s even worth taking the first step: “Do I innately feel it is worthwhile to take a few exploratory steps on this path?”. If the answer from deep inside is no, then please listen. Life is too short to waste on unfulfilling endeavors. If the answer is a yes, take that step despite fear but know that anything worthwhile takes time. We don’t get results day one or even year one. Even if it’s worthwhile, it often is a process of discovery and change. We dream the questions, and then live them.
“One of the loneliest things you can find is somebody who is in the wrong kind of work.”― John O’Donohue
