“Do not go gentle into that good night…”
Some time in between facing a challenging time at my paythebills job, watching episodes of the Korean drama, “Shut Up and Let’s Go,” and reading Inheritance, I had one of those moments, an epiphany I guess, about my long term goals and what I really wanted out of my life, and why I’ve been struggling recently to do anything about them even though I knew what I needed to do to accomplish my goals.
It’s silly to even think about it because my issue was so obvious: fear. There were different flavors and rationalizations, but it all boiled down to fear. Paralyzing, life-ignoring, shield-myself-from-pain-and-disappointment, fear.
Well, enough of that. Issues of failing or succeeding, which by the way, are arbitrary measures, were never present in my goal-setting in the first place. I chose my goals simply because they made me happy, and regardless of any other external factor, I’d be doing them anyway (the only difference is now I have deadlines).
Also, it’s no surprise to me that experiencing other dreamers daring to live their dreams gave me the epiphany (read: punch in the face) that I needed to push on. No one accomplishes much by wallowing.
“Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes… the ones who see things differently — they’re not fond of rules… You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things… they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.”
Steve Jobs
One of my favorite quotes of all time. And I can relate more than I’d like to admit to the fear you’ve experienced, but acknowledging that fear is the first step, eh? Onward!
I’m glad that you recognized what was holding you back so you can press forward and onward! Many people never realize what keeps from from being happy or succeeding. And you’ve now inspired the rest of us.
Thank you for posting this. I’ve been fighting with fear as well, self-sabotaging my dream without realizing it. Your words gave me a lot of inspiration today to keep moving despite – or maybe because of – that fear. <3
I know you’ll reach those goals. Fear is a temporary blip. <33
I love this post. You’re not alone in that paralyzing fear…it gets scary when dreams become goals and the goal seems impossible at times. But you’re doing an awesome job!! Keep pushing through. Oh, and I love that Steve Jobs quote
I went through a similar realization earlier. Now that I’m getting closer to the goal, it’s TERRIFYING! But you have these deadlines b/c you’re talented and you’ve worked hard for it. Don’t be afraid — rock it!