There always has to be a first, whether it is the first breath you take or the first blog entry you write. That first time we do something, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant, it sets the tone for something new.
Do you remember the first time you did something? Perhaps it was the first meal you cooked, the first email you ever sent, or the first time you kissed another? No matter what it was, all those "firsts" were breaking the monotony of what came before them.
It is with this in mind that I write this blog. Don't get me wrong, I've written down plenty of thoughts. Heck, at this point I've published two books. However, despite all the saved files of random thoughts, that have accumulated on my computer's hard drive over the years, this is the first one destined to become more.
So, why do so many fear it? Well, if you’re a business owner, that first email you sent may have thrust your company into a new age. Improving the speed and efficiency with which you do run operations and client relations. Resulting in unprecedented growth. However, it may have also been the start of your company’s downfall, because you were in the business of setting up and servicing fax machines.
Change, positive change, requires us to pivot our perspective. We must recognize that just because we are comfortable and complacent with how things are, does not necessitate that this is how things must be. If we held to that belief, all of us would still be riding around in horse-drawn wagons, instead of electric cars. Why? Because the person who made the first tire would have scrapped the idea in an effort to preserve what has been the norm for thousands of years.
Thus, change is a prerequisite for growth. Yet, so many of us are terrified of it. “What if he leaves me for someone prettier?” “What if my boss at that new job treats me like crap?” “What if no one likes my writing?” All valid questions and all possible. However, they should also prompt you to ask some other ones.
Do you really want to be in a relationship with someone who is using you as a placeholder until he finds someone prettier? Does your current job, despite its stability, really pay you enough or make you happy? If so, why did you apply somewhere else? Why am I writing in the first place? Does it matter that others like it or is it something that I find fulfilling? If I truly care what others think, can I get better?
When you see an Eagle, majestically soaring through the sky, do you imagine that its first flight was just as elegant? No, it fell from its nest or was pushed out. Flailing wildly to avoid the otherwise inevitable splat. Yet, without that push, whether by its parents or circumstance, it would never take flight, never find a mate, and probably become a meal for a predator.
Unlike a bird, you have the ability to push yourself. You don’t need anyone to push you from the nest of monotony. All you need is to ask the right question. The one that fills you with the intrinsic desire to change your circumstances, find new options, and soar to whatever it is that you call happiness.
This was my first-ever blog entry… By reading it, you have contributed to my change and for that, I want to thank you. I hope you enjoyed it and that you continue to come back. Perhaps this blog may become a positive change for you as well.
- Sincerely, Daniel