The post could literally end there. There’s no need to go any further. It’s such a simple phrase and at the same time, it’s very easy to dismiss. We can read that sentence over and over again and go, ok I get it.
But you don’t get it. Why? Because you’re a creature of habit. You like comfort and consistency. You like routine. But the biggest advances in your life are not made from the comfort of a couch or underneath a blanket. The biggest advances in life come from shake-you to your core types of change. The change where you’re so uncomfortable or forced to be scared about all of the uncertainty. The times in your life where at the end of the day you go, I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing but I’m sure going to try to figure it out; those are the moments that create leaps forward. They carve out new paths and new areas to explore.
Read it over. Now read it over again. This could be as deep or as shallow as you’d like it to be. But the reality is when you read that sentence over and over again, you want to change. You read it and it makes you NOT want to stand still. People sit in cubicles every day doing the same shit over and over again and yet at the end of their lives wonder why things never worked out for them or blame others who did have the courage to change and do more. Ever met someone who’s old and lives with regret? Not pretty or fun to be around.
Don’t be one of those people. Look at even the smallest of changes as pieces of your life that you’re advancing. For some people that change could be as simple as saying NO more. No, I’m not going to meet up and get drinks. No, I’m not going to cover your shift tonight for you. No, I’m not going to hang out with this group that I have nothing in common with.
If I ever find myself in a situation where I know I’m bleeding my life time out or I’m around people who suck and I don’t want to be there, it becomes so obvious to those around me that I act like I’m suffocating and need to move or leave and just get away from the energy suck that it is. That in itself is an example of change. Don’t eat that again, don’t hang out with those people again, don’t drive that way to work because it doesn’t spur creativity. So, when will you start doing something different?