Start over again
Everything happens for a reason
Good doesn’t come without pain
- from “Reset” by Outkast
My Aunt Joyce has always had a keen eye for interior design. She spends her weekends watching Home & Garden TV and scouting department stores for discounted decor. You walk into her house to beautiful flooring, trendy furniture, candle collections, vases of flowers in each corner, a lovely centerpiece on the table. Her passion in life is to make her surroundings as beautiful as possible, and it’s obvious that this skill comes to her naturally. She looks forward to her HGTV weekends all the more because she really hates her job and even her field of work – logistics support – and the demeaning way her supervisors treat her. But with only a high school diploma in a competitive job market, her options are limited. If only she could pursue another path that would allow her to do the kind of work she loves. If only she could reset her life.
Hip-hop group Outkast came out with a great song on their Speakerboxx album a few years ago called “Reset”. The whole song is about finding your destiny and following your dreams because life is too short. As you listen to the rhymes of Big Boi, Khujo Goodie and Cee-Lo, you can’t help but be inspired that it is indeed possible to start over again. Many people are like my aunt and are struggling to figure out where they need to go next and how they can muster the courage to take the first step. This is part of leadership in our daily lives – tthinking about who we are, what the hell are we doing here, and then acting on our sense of purpose. It ain’t easy, as author and motivational speaker Valorie Burton points out: “Sometimes we are afraid to hope for something more for fear we won’t get it.” In what area of life have you stopped dreaming? What circumstances have you settled for despite a persistent feeling that it isn’t right for you? Confronting these questions could be the first step in resetting your life and getting back on track to follow your dreams.
Thomas J. Denham of Careers in Transition LLC, offers useful tips and techniques for pursuing the kind of work and life that you want, listing some signs that your life is out of balance:
- Feeling that you are merely trying to get through the day.
- Feeling that you are on the merry-go-round of life and just wanting to get off.
- Feeling like you are falling behind and never catching up in the game of life.
And as the Daily OM enlightens, we all pretty much know instinctively what we need to do, and just need to summon the light that’s already inside of us to help propel us to make that change.
Often, your inner voice will counsel you that it’s time for a change, and it is very important to trust yourself because only you know what is best for you. The choices you’ve made and the dreams you’ve held onto can give you an idea of what you don’t want to do anymore and what you might like to do next.
Can’t live forever, so have some fun, right
Life’s a bowl of candy, you can have one, right
Thomas Denham also offers some ways to start resetting your life:
- Visualize your ideal life – dare to dream and write down the top ten things you want to accomplish on your “life list.”
- Pursue your passion persistently – own it and be disciplined in achieving what you truly desire out of life.
- Keep a journal – it will help you on a regular basis to stay focused on what is important to you.
If you realize that you life is out of whack with the dreams you have for yourself, commit to take some action today. Do at least one thing every day to get you closer to your dreams. Want to start your own business? Connect with other business owners one day, the next day research web hosts for your new site. You can build momentum toward your goal in baby steps.
It is when you are willing to listen to yourself and be fearless that figuring out your next step becomes easy. Beneath the fear and hesitation and uncertainty lies your inner knowing that always knows which step you need to take next.
Before I go, I thought that you all should know this
Recognize and realize before any regretting
Before you relapse, perhaps you’ll consider resetting
Today is the day to reset your life and follow your dreams! “Never say ‘I could have done that’ because you didn’t.” – Karim Rashid, designer
My aunt who is in her early 50’s was almost in the same situation as your aunt. She graduated from college with a degree in textile design, is a phenomenal artist and a fantastic teacher. She’s run a day care, worked in accounting, and is currently a social worker. How ever she has also decided to pursue her dream – she is now enrolled in Drexel’s interior design grad program. It’s amazing to see this once computer and tech phobe lady (she just got an answering machine in the last 5 years) pushing through autocad – Amazing. She definitely makes my list of Brilliant Women – it is never too late!
Stay Brilliant!
Thanks so much for sharing this story, Tai! My mom dropped out of college after her first year, then went back in her late 30s to pursue her bachelor’s then her master’s degree. It was so inspiring to watch her push through. I agree that it’s never too late!
This is the exact post I needed today. I’m starting right away by writing a personal mission statement and updating my LinkedIn profile to accurately reflect who I am. Thanks for the inspiration to start taking the little steps!
WOW Crystal those are some really important moves you’re making today. Congratulations and thanks for reading! Would love to see your personal mission statement if you’re willing to share when you’re done
Thank you for such an inspiring and informative post. Having experienced the trials and tribulations of many immigrants to US, a life reset is certainly possible and the outcomes can be extremely satisfying. I have had family members leave their country of origin, leave their professional lives behind in order to pursue a better life in the US and completely reset their lives. In particular, one of my uncles held a degree, but upon arriving in the US he had to start from zero and though he had to work in areas that was not passionate about, he made sure that he continued to strive for his passions. Today, he is back working in what he loves. If we make the decision and keep our goals in sight, they are definitely attainable.