I recently read the following saying in James Clear’s weekly 3-2-1 newsletter, “when you’re on the field, play as if nothing else matters. When you’re off the field, remember the game doesn’t matter at all.”
I’m in the midst of a career change that is equally exhilarating and terrifying. This is partially because I enjoy the work I do right now and love the people I get to interact with daily. Despite that, I couldn’t continue to ignore this nagging voice in my head that says I have a few more acts in my play before retirement that I couldn’t find a pathway to perform at my current gig. This summer, a new opportunity presented itself to me that provides the runway needed to see how far I can fly. It also means walking away from something very near and dear to my heart.
My heart immediately knew this was the right move for me. But, that doesn’t mean this over-analyzing, self-reflective, doomsday Gen X-er didn’t agonize over every possible scenario, outcome, and moment of this decision for the past month, only to land at the exact same spot. It is time to move on.
I share this because every day we’re faced with countless decisions. For me, these decisions are sometimes paralyzing and result in me doing nothing. To just see how things play out, knowing that inaction is in fact an action. That doing nothing, is in fact my choice. It is a choice to neglect my instinct, intuition, inner self, whatever you want to call it. It also means I’m not willing to bet on myself.
Today, I’m here to impart this final thought, don’t be the one that does nothing. That allows self-doubt to trump self-worth. That silences the inner voice that says why not, with a not now. The truth is, when you bet on yourself, you win every time in the most important game of all – life.
Sure, I want to crush my next gig because who wouldn’t? The truth is, I don’t know if my next career move will be a smashing success or epic failure any more than I know who will win the election. If I did, I’d be a very rich woman. What I do know at this point in my life is that I’ll take the potential of career loss and the guaranteed personal win of believing in myself every time.
It took me a long time, countless mistakes, and a lot of mentors, friends, and partners to get here. At 46-I’m just starting to figure out what games truly matter in this one big, bold, beautiful adventure called life. This transition also means I’ll be taking a hiatus from my random, rural ramblings to focus on this next chapter in my life.
Thank you for allowing me to share some snippets of this middle-aged mama’s life just doing her best to figure out life in the Midwest. No matter where life takes me, I’ll always be busy telling stories to anyone and everyone who will listen.