So, I'm re-reading the 4 Hour Work Week by Tim Ferris. I began reading it last year put stopped as it has challenges one must complete and well, I wasn't up for the challenge.
Now, as I have been meditating, doing yoga, focusing my energy on love and attempting to open up my chakras and raise my vibrations, I find myself once again reading this book. Why, well for starters I would love to know how to work 4 hours/week and be able to live my life as if I were working 40 hours/week. I do not seek wealth per se but I do seek and choose happiness. No amount of money or lack of can generate happiness.
Well in reading the book something stuck out to me. People would rather be unhappy than face uncertainty. What does this mean? People will stay in jobs they hate, in an unhealthy relationship or living environment simply because they are used to it although it is not ideal to say the least. So, while deciding to stay in whatever the situation may be WE yes WE rationalize...Well, this situation beats this or that, what will happen if I just quit my job, how will me and my children eat. Now these are very viable questions and I do not recommend one quitting their job without a plan in place but I do suggest if you are unhappy with any situation you are currently in, making a valid attempt to change it. This valid attempt does not include complaining, go ahead and pray about it but action must also be taken on your part!
FEAR, many of us have them BUT let me tell you a SECRET, FEAR is a learned behavior! You are not born with fear, fear is developed. I was on a field trip with my son and there were carnival rides. One little girl in my group refused to ride on most of the rides, she kept telling me she was afraid. My son and his other classmates rode the Tilt a Whirl 3 times, the little girl on the side with me said I don't know why they like that ride, why are they riding it so much. Now, had she rode the ride and then decided she didn't like it I could understand BUT how could she talk down on their like for something? Easy, she was RATIONALIZING and making herself feel better. Again, WE all do this at some point in time in our lives. Why? To make ourselves feel better and to give validation to how or what we are feeling at the time.
So the book touched on fear and suggested doing something you fear daily. I will share a couple of my fears. I cannot swim, don't like my head under the water, nor water in my eyes and can't imagine jumping in the deep end. However, come the spring of 2013 I will be enrolling myself in swimming lessons. Why? Because I need to face my fear and more importantly I love vacationing on beaches and I want to be able to swim in the ocean, scuba dive, snorkel etc. There are things on my bucket list that outweigh my fear and as the saying goes, there is nothing to Fear but FEAR itself!!!! My other fear is speaking with strangers. I love helping others make money and being the behind the scenes girl BUT I don't like forging relationships with strangers. Well, I decided to begin facing that fear and will continue to do so this week as well. I have a couple of networking events to attend and the plan is to not sit in a corner on my smart phone or around people I know but to work the crowd and meet at least 3 people at each event!
Why are these things important to me? Because these fears have been holding me back from living my life to the fullest. I will take a bet that you also have fears that have been holding you back as well. Well the question asked in the book is what is the worst that could happen? Face the worst case scenario, create and live in the worst case scenario and determine IF it truly happen would you be able to survive.
However, the bigger question to ponder is HOW will you HAVE the life that you DESIRE IF you DON'T face your FEARS and truly pursue your DREAMS? Absolutely it is ok to be content with your life as is, as happiness is a choice. The question is asking if you wake up 5 years from now in the same spot doing the same thing will you be happy, will your potential have been realized, and will you have shared your gifts, passion, and purpose to the world? If you can confidently say yes, great. If you can't, we have work to do and there is no time like the present.
There is still time to end 2012 on the right foot and create the momentum needed to jump start 2013, kick it in the butt, and leave your fears behind!
If you are up for the challenge let me know. We can talk/discuss/motivate/encourage one another. I'm game for that as well.
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