I'm learning in life that there are two types of people. There are the 'daring' and there are the 'fearing'. Both of them are necessary because they bring a balance to the world and keep things running smoothly. Where it gets interesting is in the crux of the crossroads of the two. Although there are ONLY the two types of people, there are a few of us who get a little confused by the road signs leading us down whichever path they are meant to be on.
Fearful people aren't weak or invaluable, but they are the people who honor the law and rules of the land. They keep people organized and are super great at playing their role in the lives of their friends and their work environment. They keep things steady and they definitely value a good reminding of what's what to who; where, why, when, and how. I love fearful people. I need more of them in my life.
The daring folks are the ones who really try to shake loose the foundations of this world. They are trying to innovate and captivate every chance they get. Daring people are not stable and because of that, they help get a lot of rules changed and perfected because they can't just settle for what they're handed. They want to be free and they want to free others. There is no norm, limit or restriction that you can put on a daring person. No matter their capacity, they will find a way to rebel and make things better. Daring people are dope and definitely should be a best friend to every one of us.
Together, the daring and fearful make the world go 'round. That's why gang leaders, world leaders, heads of households, siblings and business partners who succeed tend to have a STAFF. They do this because usually they lack one of these qualities and in order to make things, actions, or thoughts, popular, you have to be able to speak the language of all the people in your land, right? So it's important to have a healthy balance of the two in your life.
As for the lost ones, of which I consider myself, we get to the crossroads of life that every one comes to and although we know we're daring (or fearing), we start to think that we should fear (or dare) where we really have no place playing that role! Obviously are lives will be sprinkled with opportunities to role play and put the opposite skill into practice a lot of times; BUT it's usually pretty clear what your choice SHOULD be at each moment. So we get stuck in some areas of life and we wait and wait and wait for a more clear sign to pop up alongside the road to tell us when to make our next move!
We'll make some progress from time-to-time, in these areas, but most of it is fleeting and not quantifiable. So we wait and wait and drive along and the next thing you know, we're in the desert... waiting. And waiting some more!
The good thing about confusion, hopelessness, and 'waiting' is that they are definitely a slave to Newton's laws of motion. Which are, in summation--and in super laymen terms:
1.) External force has a lot to do with how long something can go on.
2.) The size of something and how fast it moves or long it goes on has a lot to do with that specific something's insides (? THAT'S A REACH)
3.) Everything has a polar opposite because it needs to force pushing back on it to keep it going...or not going
And thus we have the solution to confusion, hopelessness, and 'waiting'! It has everything to do with everything so we should stop acting like it's a very specific, personal, nuance, when in fact, it DOES matter whether or not you like where you live. And it DOES matter whether or not you like yourself or your co-workers, etc. The main point is that it all matters and it can all be changed by applying new forces on your own life. The opposite of confusion is clarity. It doesn't take much to ask your co-worker to really break down what he/she means about a project or even a side comment they made after a meeting the other day.
The opposite of hopelessness is hope! (Duh-zies!) Not hope as in a wish, but hope as in--what I believe is the Hebrew translation--of having a certainty in something. The feeling of hopelessness between you and that guy can be stopped if you get CLEAR (wink) and then set your certainties on what you know to be true! If you know it's not going anywhere, there's a certain power there because you can choose to stay or choose to walk away 'cause you not sitting and wishing for something that you're not sure about!
Finally, 'waiting'... Waiting for results, waiting for someone to come alongside you, waiting for a chance, and waiting for the perfect time! The opposite force of 'waiting' is ACTION! You can eliminate that confusing wait time for your daring or fearing self, by DOING exactly what you're good at! If you're 'afraid' to approach your boss for a raise then don't do it the daring way, but do it your way. Maybe you wait or maybe you use the employee handbook as your reference, but you gotta do SOMETHING, even if that something is nothing! If you're finally ready to get super fit, don't start off with a cardio dance class, be daring and hit the weights with all the body builders you see at the bench press!
Regardless, the more you wait because you're not sure whether or not to be daring then the more time you spend waiting and being passed by signs that you might understand, but really feel confused, hopeless and paralyzed by. The key is action, but the courage to step across the threshold is taking that action and doing it YOUR way.
I'm going to apply this by working out and accomplishing things the daring way each time I come to the crossroads. Every time I feel confused I will really sit and take the time to get clear. Every time that I feel hopeless, I will refocus my vision and behave in a more certain way. Every time that I get tempted to wait, I will take the most daring action that I can take in that moment. A few examples I have put them into practice over the past few weeks (or plan to soon) by:
CONFUSION:
1.) Having a clearing with leadership at my job(s) as necessary. (Done.)
HOPELESSNESS:
1.) Revisiting my goals and vision and reminding myself what the real mission is and who it's for. (Ongoing.)
2.) Breaking my financial goals and responsibilities into more doable bite sized tasks versus being intimidated by my own damn money! lol (Starting now.)
WAITING:
1.) I won't be afraid to ask my mentors and role models stupid questions about things that I need to grasp in order to get ahead in my career and life. (Just did it yesterday.)
2.) I will not wait until something inspiring comes along to remain super fit. I'll just accept that I want to be SUPER FIT or nothing at all and embrace it versus blaming races, training, BHAGs*, on why I'm not always performing at my pique levels 24/7. (Staring now.)
So how can you embrace your daring or fearing characteristics this week? Where in your life can you afford to get more clear? What will it take for you to live a life full of certain hope? How long will it be 'til you stop waiting and start taking the actions that suit you the best?
I hope you can see how there are other people like you out here who are "kind of" and not just fully blazing ahead the way that instagram makes it look! I also hope that you can also see how it can be done and doesn't just have to be about super big things.
So get to gettin' and don't forget to recruit some great people for your team and life balance. As the ever lovely, Kim Kardashian, says: "Teamwork will make the dream work." We'll go deeper into that some other time. Cool?
GOOD DAY!
xoxO
MB
