The Cavalry Isn’t Coming. Save Yourself by Getting Uncomfortable.
Understand that you are the architect of your comfort zone. No one else in the world lives in your comfort zone – it’s unique to you, and it’s something you could try like hell to explain but few would understand. You began laying bricks and building the walls for your comfort zone when you were a kid: Do this, don’t do that, you’re good at this, you suck at that, you are this type of kid or that type of kid, you can’t do this, but you can do that. Messages from your parents, teachers, coaches, and other kids began to stick, even if the messages were not true and never were true. These messages were simply the judgements of others directed at you. Regardless, you store these judgements into the harddrive of your mind and they begin to gain power over all your decisions, how you see yourself, the world, and what you do and do not do.
You form a concept of yourself that begins to guide your life and decisions based on your self-concept. We all do this. In counseling, we call these concepts core beliefs. You begin to create your life around what you believe to be true: your friends, career, family, likes, dislikes, talents, and so on. You believe you are incapable of some things but capable of others. The years pass by, and you end up in a place you don’t want to be. You may not be unhappy, but you are merely existing and not an active participant in continually creating the kind of life you really want to live. There is a dream inside you but you never take steps to put that dream on paper and then into action. You believe it’s simply not possible – that job, that relationship, that great business idea, the book you’ve been wanting to write, or that trip you’ve wanted to take. Guess what? The cavalry isn’t coming to help you. Want to change your life? It’s up to you.
Stop Making Excuses and Get Moving
You might be working a good, stable job, but deep down you know that’s not what you are supposed to be doing. It’s become a way to pay the rent, car note, buy groceries, and keep the lights on. Every day is the same…routine, routine, routine. Your life begins to be a show of pleasantries and staging. You do things because you feel like you are supposed to do them and not because you want to. Your dreams begin to die because you believe you are too old, too fat, too broke, or too far gone to try so why bother?
“I’ll start tomorrow.” No you won’t. You haven’t yet, so why would you? You are lying to yourself and you know it. If you mean business, you will start today. Do something. Anything. Just move. What would you tell a little kid that doubted their abilities to play baseball, join the band, or ask their crush to the school dance? Go for it! You can do it! Just try! When it comes to your own life, you are buried up to your eyeballs in shitty excuses. Stop it. Destroy your excuses and move. The more you move, the better you feel.
To get something you’ve never had and something you really want, you’ve got to get into the mindset of doing things you’ve not done. The things you dream about, talk about, think about, research, but never act on. Those are the things to act on, and you know exactly what I’m talking about. The things you’ve been putting off for weeks, months, or years. The magic exists in the action of doing these things. Get out of your chair and start living your life. The Cavalry isn’t coming. Want to change your life? It’s up to you.
