Some people seem to move through life with an innate sense of momentum. They know exactly what they want, they make their decisions quickly, and they step forward without looking back. For them, living boldly is just who they have always been.
This article is not for those people.
This article is for those who hesitate. It is for the person standing on the edge of a choice, holding back for a dozen different reasons. If you are waiting for a sign, a perfect moment, or a sudden burst of effortless courage, consider this your direct call to action.
The Fear of Going Against the Grain
One of the biggest hurdles we face is the fear of social friction. It is genuinely difficult to do something that goes against the grain, especially when it means choosing a path your friends or family might not understand. They might even actively dislike your choice.
We are not suggesting that you should purposefully alienate the people you love. However, there is a profound difference between maintaining healthy relationships and letting the expectations of others dictate the boundaries of your existence. At some point you must recognize that this is your life to live. Experiencing the world and doing the things you have always wanted to do is a vital responsibility to yourself. If you constantly shrink your desires to keep everyone else comfortable, you are slowly erasing your own identity.
The Illusion of Better Timing
Perhaps the most dangerous trap we fall into is the myth of the “perfect time.” We tell ourselves that next year will be less busy, or that we will have more money, more energy, or more support in the future. We believe that some point on the horizon will offer a better landscape for our dreams.
Do not let this comforting thought lull you to sleep! The idea of perfect timing is a mirage that recedes the closer you get to it. CoBM minister Tiffany Hahn recently shared a piece of wisdom that cuts straight to the heart of this issue: the best time to plant an oak tree was ten years ago; the second best time is today.
If you did not start yesterday, the only meaningful choice you have is to start right now.
What Are You Waiting For?
This message applies to the physical choices we make with our bodies and it applies just as clearly to every other dream we hold close.
Perhaps you are someone who has spent years envying people with tattoos or piercings, yet you have never endeavored to get your own. You worry about what people will say or how you will look when you age. The solution is simple: do it.
Maybe you’re fascinated by body suspension but you believe you could never actually hang from hooks. You think you lack the strength or the mental fortitude. We are here to tell you that you can do it. The capacity for endurance is already inside you, waiting to be unlocked.
These principles reach far beyond the world of body modification. Do you want to write and publish a cookbook, like our friend Warren Hiller? Stop waiting and get cooking. Do you want to run an ultra marathon like Ms. Kitten? You do not have to run fifty miles tomorrow. It simply starts with the very first step and planning your first 5k community run.
Stretching the Limits
Stepping out of your comfort zone is the only way to truly understand what you are capable of achieving. Dr. Art Ulene is turning ninety next month, and he is celebrating this milestone with a goal to hike Mount Kilimanjaro. In an interview with NPR, he shared a simple truth: “If you want to find out who you really are, then you need to stretch your limits.”
You do not discover your character by staying safe. You find it when you push against the boundaries of your comfort, put one foot in front of the other, and see what happens when the path gets steep.
In the final post written by Shannon Larratt, he shared many of these same vital thoughts. His advice remains just as urgent today as it was when he wrote it: “Don’t fritter your life away,” and “Live a life you can be proud of.”
Those words are a compass. Do not let your days slip by in a haze of hesitation and “what-ifs.” Stop waiting for the world to give you permission to exist. Take the first step, plant your tree today, and live a life that is unapologetically your own.
