Monday, November 12, 2012

Keep Moving Forward!


"Success is not the result of spontaneous combustion. You must first set yourself on fire." - Fred Shero

Planning is a safe zone for people. The unknown can be so scary for some people that they try to plan out every scenario in their lives to minimize the unknown. In the life of a start-up, you have to be spontaneous! Being spontaneous to me is not lacking a plan or resources, but it does mean being adaptable. Life is an oncoming storm, and you can only stay dry for so long.

I don't think this is a pessimistic way to view life, but rather a realistic or more practical way. One of the most inspirational people of our time, Steve Jobs, said in his commencement speech to Stanford in 2005, "I wake up every day and ask myself if today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today? And whenever the answer has been 'No' for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something." This to me is a very healthy way to view life if you truly understand what Steve Jobs said. He is not referring to going skydiving every day, or climbing Mount Everest, but rather surrounding yourself with what makes you happy. No matter how small or how simple, happiness comes in many different forms and everyone knows what makes himself or herself happy. The problem with this is that people often surround themselves with friends or activities that don't truly make them happy. Far too often we settle. I'm here saying don't settle!

Some recent moments in my life have led me to write this blog post. These moments have really made me think and open my eyes to what makes me truly happy. No matter what happens, life goes on. Don't be afraid to truly give yourself to someone else, or to a job that makes you happy, or a hobby that engages not only your body but also your mind. It is okay to be rejected. It is okay to be upset. Being upset is what makes us grow. If there wasn't rejection then there would be no innovation. Whether this is personal innovation or innovation from a company, societies and people grow from being turned away.

Making a plan is essentially creating an outline of possibilities. Nothing is certain in this world, and to hold yourself back from fear of the uncertain will only hold you back from life. Someone once said to me that instead of pivoting, you should try tacking. Pivoting means you stop, switch directions, and keep going. Tacking (Which is a sailing term) means going different directions but never stopping or going backwards. Let life take you forward! No many how many different paths you choose, don't stop. Life is to short to stop.


4 comments:

  1. So many wonderful and inspiring points!

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    1. Thank you for the kind words! I had a lot of inspiration when writing this blog haha almost like venting out my frustrations.

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  2. I often feel that frustration myself. Sometimes with myself, as I face my own fears, and sometimes with others. Last year I had a very unsuccessful two week hike due to the fears of some of my hiking companions and now it has effected our friendship and unfortunately their self esteem as well. I struggle with this because I want to have a fulfilling life, where I stretch and challenge myself, and it is hard for me to understand how someone would want to hide instead.

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    1. It is extremely frustrating when situations like this arise. It is also disappointing when you share something that is very important to you with friends, like hiking, and it doesn't go as planned. I find that everyone has their own comfort zone and what "going out of your comfort zone" is for one person is totally different from the next. Take the opportunity to strengthen other parts of your friendship with those people and look to find adventure with new friends that share the same outdoor goals. Your next backpacking trip might go perfectly then :)

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