Do Work That Matters, by Jon Acuff
Learning is about addition.
Editing is about subtraction.
What passions, dreams, hopes, and callings will you take into this journey?
Which will you leave on the side of the road?
We add complexities to our challenges because if the problem is simple to solve, then we have to change. Change is scary. When faced with a challenge we don't want to fix, we tend to over complicate the issues. The great temptation with the editing stage is when the "fog" rolls in. Rather than edit our lives, we start to make decisions and cloud our path, and then pretend there's a fog of complexity. This causes us to retreat and go back to what we've always known....average. The dreams you've always had but refuse to actually work on, tend to create hidden piles you don't have to look at, unless you really force yourself to.
If you choose to be awesome, you aim for a whole lot more exclamation points and a whole lot fewer question marks.
What gives me the most joy?
The real life change and the joy of being who you are designed to be, always results in selflessness, not selfishness.
Edit your life, search through the things you're passionate about. Don't buy the lie that changing the world has to be a chore or make you miserable. Be brave enough to have fun with whatever you decide to do in life.
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How many times have I clouded up a situation, in an attempt to distract from the issue and put it off! That is such a habit of mine! This is also what has kept me on the road to average, and stuck in my perceived comfort zone.
What gives me the most joy? Honestly? LAUGHTER! It makes me feel good, makes me happy, and makes me want to conquer the world. I may be a shy person, but I enjoy being around people and making people happy. Don't get me wrong, I'm no comedian and I do not tell awesome jokes. But I like to see people happy, I like to bring "happy" into other people's lives.
This direction I've taken in my college endeavor, is about making people happy. It is about working with people, talking to people, and making a difference in their lives.
I have gotten so deep into the road to average, that I forgot what awesome was like. I lost the laughter. I lost the joy of having contact with other people. I locked myself into a self-imposed prison, my comfort zone, and before I knew it...the walls were three feet deep and there was no easy escape.
Someone who used to live by me, gave me a little "refresher course" on the joys of being around people again, and finding laughter again. Fortunately I will, in a few months, get to be around her again and laugh again. After that, I will have gotten most of my college education done and will be able to enter the work field again, and be around people there. Most of all, returning home means I will be able to be around family again.
It definitely is time to stop making excuses (clouds) and stop creating more obstacles (excuses) to distract from the issue...and just START opening myself up more to laughter and being around people. I'm on my way! :)
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