Why now is exactly the right moment to relaunch yourself
Now before anyone inspired by the recent NASA & SpaceX mission takes the title of this article a little too literally, let me explain.
Recent months have brought about many changes to everyday life. Many of which we couldn't have possibly foreseen and whilst it’s difficult to accept, things may never be quite the same again.
Perhaps you are one of the many globally that have sadly found yourself surplus to requirements at your former place of work. Maybe you are currently furloughed, and in addition to the uncertainty surrounding your former role, you are also feeling a deep inner frustration with your current way of life.
You see 2020 was supposed to be your year. You had so many plans and ideas, but this pandemic has thrown everything out of kilter.
Sound familar? You are definitely not alone. Like you and I, many others are feeling the same.
Now, empathetic intro complete. Let’s not feel sorry for ourselves but instead as the title suggests, use this opportunity to launch the new improved version of our future self.
Much of life is about perspective, and we can choose to look at the same situation and set of circumstances from many different angles.
You see, it’s likely we will never see a moment like this again in our lifetimes. A time when the world stood still.
How we choose to use this time can make all of the difference when determining the future direction of our lives.
Maybe you have been thinking about changing careers, learning a new language or skill. What about that new product you have dreamt up, or service you believe can fill a void in the market.
It might even be starting a YouTube channel, a podcast, a new blog, whatever.
I know I am not alone in procrastinating on ideas for months and months on end without ever really acting on them. The idea is the easy part, everyone has them, it’s the execution that has the potential to change the course of our lives.
What I am proposing here, is use this time to finally take action on that idea.
‘’The quality of your life is in direct proportion to the amount of uncertainty you can comfortably deal with’’
Tony Robbins
So before I give you a moment to overthink and ponder again, I would like to offer some (hopefully) useful tips and ideas to consider first.
First understand what it is you would like to do
You probably have multiple ideas, and although you can eventually get around to trying all of them, initially it’s better to focus on just one or two. A simple exercise I have tried is to list everything you are interested in, literally everything no matter how big, small, or deep the interest level. I have found this encouraged me to take a real hard look at what exactly got me ticking and excited, it helps to identify passions. The key here is to understand exactly what turns you on. As they say, if you are working on your passion, you never really work a day again.
Secondly, learn to accept what you are most likely not going to do
When I was younger I dreamt of becoming a Marine Biologist. At around twelve years old I would compile research on different species and the various marine destinations around the world. As it happens, I’m not great at biology and thus this idea quickly disappeared.
Over the years there has been many other things that I have felt I could do. It’s often with age and hindsight you come to accept you aren’t necessarily made for such things. I recommend listing every career, profession and job you have ever been interested in pursuing since you can remember. It doesnt matter how insane they seem now, just write them down.
Once you have the list, be honest with yourself and make a note by each to decide how practical they are now. For example, I used to enjoy the idea of becoming a professional basketball player and joining the NBA. Now I’m 6’2 so not short, but I have never really played basketball, so the notion I could pursue that particular ambition is obscene. Nevertheless, it was probably only 18 months ago that I accepted this very fact. Having a deep understanding of what you do not want from life is just as important as knowing what it is you do want.
Lastly, ask yourself why you want to do it
For myself, I write for a couple of reasons but without a doubt the fundamental reason is this. Should from any one of my articles, just one person take something useful, just one person read something that has truly helped them, that is all the motivation I need to continue.
So why do you want to take this path and what is your own motivation? Do you want to do this for financial gain? Are you looking for a better work/life balance? Do you want to help others too?
Again, be honest with yourself here and do not be ashamed of your motivations.
Next steps
Once you have completed the above, begin to breakdown exactly what the next practical steps are to take the idea further. No matter how small or seemingly insignificant the step. Completing each stage and documenting the process will provide you with the confidence and encouragement to progress further.
Finally, I cannot emphasise enough how important it is to just start. You really have to just begin, not tomorow, not next week, right now. You are going to make mistakes, probably many. But this is how we learn, you cannot learn without first making mistakes and as a matter of fact, we should embrace them.
