I don’t know about you, but I find myself somewhere around my birthday thinking about things I would like to accomplish or do in the next year of my life. Then, I often put them off. (sound familiar?)
This year, I started to think, when is the right time to start something new? The answer should always be today, now. I can think of a ton of reasons not to do something, and that usually comes down to the fear of the unknown. What will happen if I do x, y, or z? Let’s flip that. What will happen if I don’t do x, y, or z? Absolutely nothing. Nothing will change, no growth will occur.
Have you ever watched babies learning how to walk? They have no fear, they see how far they can go, and mostly just go for it. We watch and applaud when they make it and tell them to try again/do it again if they did not succeed. Babies and small children live in the world of possibility. They don’t see the “can’t do” they only see “how can I figure out how to..” It’s hysterical to watch them figure things out. You can see the wheels turning.
We lose that world of possibility as we get older. We understand the negative consequences of our actions, see the violence in the world, or are just told “no” enough that we don’t believe that we can. Yes, there are things I can’t do. I can’t run a marathon today. That’s true, but I didn’t train for one. I could run a marathon eventually if I started running and training for one. (I have no desire to do that, but you get my point.)
I have wanted to take a certain class for more than a year now, circumstances prevented me for awhile and the opportunity came up again so I took it. I told everyone that I was going to do it to make sure that I would sign up. Walking into a room of people that I do not know to learn something new was a little scary. Don’t worry- I walked in and now it’s one of the highlights of my week. I am enjoying getting to know and laugh with nine new people. It’s out of my comfort zone, and I am getting used to that.
What do you want to do that you have not yet done? Now is the time. Don’t spend your life waiting on Godot. (he never arrives by the way). The world is full of possibilities. What are you able to do today to work on that? Do you want to travel? Apply for a passport. Want to run a marathon? Go for a run. Want to eat more healthy? Find a recipe and make it for dinner.
Let’s all be like toddlers this week and only see the possibilities and not the barriers to what we want. It’s possible. All you have to do is start moving in that direction and believe that you can. Let’s go!
