Mark Manson is a NYTimes bestselling author and blogger, and he has a theory: failure is the way forward. If we just take action (any action forward), we will be inspired. That inspiration then becomes the motivation to keep moving. If we are afraid to fail we will never feel the wonder of success. Our comfort zone is, well, comfortable. Are you ready to get out of your comfort zone?
In our society we tend to gauge success by how much wealth we have accumulated. Some of the wealthiest people stepped out of their comfort zone, and risked failure before achieving success. Mr. Manson writes, “I grew up in a wealthy family where money was more often used to avoid problems than solve them. I was fortunate because this taught me at an early age that making money, by itself, was a lousy metric. You could make plenty of money and be miserable, just as you could be broke and be pretty happy. Therefore, why use money as a means to measure my self-worth?” This should be obvious, but often it is not. How do you define success?
Now, I certainly realize that with money comes the ability to have choices. You know my motto (OK, my husband’s – I stole it), set your life up so you have choices. That said, while understanding and taking control of our finances is empowering it most certainly is not a measurement of self-worth. Our jobs help pay the bills, but are you looking beyond the paycheck for more? On average, we spend 10 hours a day at work – wouldn’t it be great to find inspiration and motivation in our careers? If that isn’t in the cards, what about elsewhere?
It can be really scary to step outside of our comfort zone. This blog started as a small idea in the back of my brain, with parts of that same brain saying “you have no idea how to do this,” and “why would anyone want to read your thoughts?” But I started by taking small steps. I researched how to set up a site, and I did the basics myself. That small action became my inspiration. I then collaborated with a very smart woman who helped me dramatically improve what I started. This then motivated me to keep going. I am not making any money from this site – this is not about accumulating wealth in any way. It is about the satisfaction I have in knowing that my experiences may help others feel like they are not alone and my thoughts may help others step outside of their comfort zone. Mark Manson says, “If you lack the motivation to make an important change in your life, do something – anything, really – and then harness the reaction to that action as a way to begin motivating yourself.”
What new action will you take this week? Where will you find your inspiration? Small steps are all that are needed. From those first steps you will find your inspiration – because you are fabulous!
