Pathways: 5 steps to take action and move forwards
We love to complicate it, but it can be dead simple
It’s so simple, in theory.
We have our ideas, dreams, goals and ambitions. We’re smart enough to know that to make them a reality, we have to take some tangible steps towards them, not in our minds but in the 3D-world. And yet, we trip ourselves up right here, before we’ve reached the first hurdle.
Taking action is hard. We over-complicate and overthink it. We get bogged down in the details — fear of rejection, apprehension it won’t work out, not knowing how or where to begin — and before we know it, we’re exhausted.
Imagine standing at the starting line of a race and looking ahead, trying to see the end. You know that before you make it to that finish line you’ll have to run fast, jump over hurdles, perhaps get sore legs along the way. You have no idea what other obstacles might be on the path ahead — will it be a sprint or a marathon? How hard will it be? Will it hurt? Will I have the energy for it? What if I haven’t trained enough for what’s ahead?
There are bends on the course, so you can’t possibly have the answers to these questions. The more you think of all of the unknowns, the easier it feels to opt-out altogether or to convince yourself that you’re not ready, that you should prepare more before trying. Why start a race if you don’t know what the race will entail, or when the finish line will come?
Dreaming, not doing — a natural default, a comfortable go-to. Giving up, while convincing yourself that you’ll get to it later, that you’ll still achieve that dream, even if you’re doing nothing to make it a reality.
The fantasy world is a much nicer place to exist in, it’s shiny and bright and demands absolutely nothing of you. It allows you to sit on the couch watching Netflix while still believing that you’ll do That Thing, just tomorrow instead.
What is Pathways?
This is a new series of short, sweet, “lessons” in creativity (life), and in how to show up for yourself, without the overwhelm. You can find the first instalment on embracing failure, right here.
If you have a block on your path, just respond to this email and let me know, perhaps I can find a pathway through it or around it for you to try, and I’ll include it in this series :)
You can upgrade at a discount to receive the whole series, for only €30/year here.