I was a senior in high school when the movie Dead Poets Society came out. In it, an unconventional English teacher, played by Robin Williams, inspires his students to seize the day. “Carpe Diem!” The Latin phrase became their rallying cry. I was moved by the movie and its message. What it meant to me was that we don’t know how long we have here on earth, our lives are meant to be fully lived, so take chances and go for your dreams.
I saw a great image on Facebook recently that said “The most dangerous risk of all – the risk of spending your life not doing what you want in the bet you can buy yourself the freedom to do it later.” Are you waiting for that point in the future, when you have enough money, when you have that degree, when you feel confident, when you have the right partner, to follow your heart’s desire? Sometimes, there’s no time like the present. Here’s what you CAN do now:
- Define what “enough” is. The portion of our brain that resembles a reptile (officially the reptilian brain) is lovingly referred to by Martha Beck coaches as the Lizard. It is responsible for thoughts of lack and attack. The lack ideas are plentiful (not enough money, not enough credentials, not enough food, not good enough). One way to keep them in check is defining what enough is for you. How much money in savings will make you feel comfortable? If you don’t define it, you’ll never reach the nebulous “enough.” Putting a structure to it gives you a clear goal.
- Bring pieces of your Future into your Now. How can you incorporate elements of what you want into your life now? If you want to change careers and have identified what you want to do, consider what activities you can start doing now. This might include anything from reading books about your new area to joining online or local discussion groups to practicing your craft. Finding ways to bring your future state into your present state will give you some of that joy now and make your transition easier.
- Take small steps. When people ask me about my career transition, it often seems like I suddenly took a huge leap. I did have to leap a bit, but behind the scenes were many small steps that made the actual leap less frightening. Break things down into small steps and take those small steps each day. Go between keeping your eye on the larger goal (eagle view) to focusing on what you can do today (mouse view) to get one step closer. While it may seem that your progress is slow, remember that those small steps add up. It is far better to take a small step than be overwhelmed and not making any forward progress.
In the movie, Robin Williams tells his students, “You must strive to find your own voice. Because the longer you wait to begin, the less likely you are to find it at all. Thoreau said, “Most men lead lives of quiet desperation.” Don’t be resigned to that. Break out!”
Carpe Diem.