I don't know about you, but I've been hit in the face with the fact that life is short and time is the most valuable thing we have. This realization has been both a blessing and a curse. Every day I put pressure on myself to make sure I'm spending my time wisely, but this often leads to crippling anxiety and a battle between execution and overthinking which action to take first and why. Maybe you can relate. Maybe you too have had some life experiences that have caused you to really question what you want to do with your time here and it's caused you to think big about all the different paths you can follow to those ultimate goals. Digging deep to discover what we truly want out of life is an exercise in self awareness and it can be challenging, but often it's not this step that is the hardest part. It's the follow-up: figuring out which small steps to take each day to get closer to those dreams. It's saying YES to the people and things that we think in the moment will benefit us, and NO to the things that don't align.
On my journey towards self-discovery these past few years as I transition through different phases of my life and my career, I've opened up to a lot of people about these thoughts.. and what I've found is that SO many others feel similar. And guess what else? NO ONE really has it all figured out. As humans, we go through these vicious cycles of what-ifs, comparison, temptations towards paths that our hearts don't agree with, and analysis paralysis. And if we're not careful, all of that can truly prevent us from getting closer to the lives we deserve...the ones that truly will make us the happiest and most satisfied versions of ourselves.
A couple weeks ago, I landed back in Austin with a burning desire to make the most out of these next 12 months. I made a commitment to myself to draw the line between overthinking and action for myself. I was getting tired of my own indecisiveness and the unjustified need to reassure myself of my capabilities by analyzing the successes of others. I've been digging deep for a while now to understand my WHY, or the reasons behind my motivation every day. In addition to the struggle of overthinking and inaction, I also sometimes struggle with the thought of being passionate about and wanting to accomplish TOO MUCH. It's like where do I begin? What would be in my best interest right now? Should I truly take interest in all of this or should I just focus on one area? Do I need to be an expert first?
I started a discussion on Instagram about this, sharing some of my passions and asking others about their WHY, and the answers amazed me. I'd like to highlight them here and remind anyone who opened up to share these with me as well as anyone that may be reading this post, that the time is NOW. Lead every day with these thoughts in mind and you are more than capable of making an impact and achieving great things. But it all starts in the mind.
Here are some of the powerful examples of leading with WHY:
Re-reading them now still inspires me.
Having a clear picture of what legacy you want to leave is like a guiding light, a playbook if you will. If you don't know what yours is and can't seem to find one, I encourage you to really pay attention to what you enjoy most. What makes you feel alive? When are you happiest? Think about these things and start to connect your OWN dots.