Taking Advantage of Fall Possibilities: 8 Ideas to get you started
Maybe it's because I’m a former professor, but to me the beginning of the school year always feels like the beginning of the year. Fall feels full of potential and possibilities for things to begin, grow and develop, if you can get some momentum. Sometimes the greatest obstacles to turning opportunities into realities are things we carry in ourselves – doubts, reservations, fears and false-truths that hold us back.
How can you take advantage of the possibilities the season has for you? A lengthy process of therapy, self-help or re-education might help, but here are some ideas that might offer a quicker path to maximizing your opportunities:
Act on what you know. Many people fret about what might happen then make contingency plans for every negative possibility. Instead, take action based on what you do know. Attaining your life goals often requires turning a blind eye or deaf ear to things that could-be-but-may-not occur. We’re all limited in what we can accurately anticipate so it’s better to act on the clarity we have, trusting that more clarity will come as we work through the process.
Let go of what you don’t love. My wife sometimes has a spring garage sale where she takes the clothes, furniture, knick-knacks and stuff we held onto but never used and makes them available to people who might actually need and use them. The goal is to unload stuff and simplify. Coming to grips with what you don’t love in-and-about your life is valuable – it forces you to focus and make choices. You waste time and energy feeling guilty over things for which you aren’t truly passionate when it’s much healthier to simply give them away or stop doing them, then focus your energy where it counts.
Live like an artist. Everyone needs a creative outlet, (though you may need to redefine what it means for them to be creative). Develop and create hobbies, art, and life practices that restore you because you love them – not just for a paycheck, being responsible, approved or promoted. Too many of my near-retirement clients spent so many years doing only what was required, practical or sensible that they failed to do the things that flesh out our lives and give them meaning. Enlarge your life.
Keep your income and your identity separate in your thinking. Don’t complicate life by putting these two together. Who you are and how you choose to earn a living must not be dependent on each other. If you’re fortunate they may overlap or merge, but it’s always healthier to understand that your vocation is a place where you apply who you are, rather than the thing that defines who you are.
“Don’t let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.” – John Wooden. Start creating and offering your gifts, strengths, abilities and resources as you can. Don’t wait for the perfect time or for someone to ask, endorse or “anoint” you, or do it for an audience, a paycheck, a position, or a title. Do what you can as opportunities appear.
Don’t wait for things to be “ideal”. Don’t wait on the big transition or life change to start something new. Don’t wait for a job or position offer, endorsements, a raise in pay or greater savings, an inheritance or “the right people to appear” to begin walking toward your heart’s desires. So many people miss valuable opportunities waiting for “perfect’ or “sensible” situations when those things rarely (if ever) happen to most of us.
Recognize that growth is essential. We cannot become better people without more knowledge, more experiences, taking risks, failing-then-trying-again, getting mentored or coached. In human development there are only the choices of growing or dying. The notion of attaining a high level of competence, insight and wisdom, then forever staying there with no effort is a myth. A risk-averse life leads only to a small life. You will never fully become who you were meant to be without pressing through adversity towards growth.
It can be enough to simply “try”. Yoda was flat wrong when he said, “simply do or do not, there is no ‘try’”. Sometimes trying wholeheartedly is the most important thing you can do in life. If the things you want meet your moral and ethical standards and they don’t adversely affect how you perform your responsibilities (as spouse, parent, employee, etc.), then go after them. Even if things go differently than you hope, it’s always better to have tried.
There are differences between “waiting on God” and procrastinating, and between moving forward in faith and acting rashly, but we were all created to move forward and make things happen. Understanding those differences, choose to live authentically and take hold of the opportunities you’ve been given. Then go enjoy the fall season!
I'm always glad to talk about how you can make the most of the life you've been given. Reach me here.
My Best to You!
Dr. Jim Bailey