30 Days of Yes - Take a Haiku and Cross the Lake

I decided to squeeze two of the 30 Days of Yes in one blog today because it happened over the weekend. I do want to start off by saying I'm not selling 30 Days of Yes.  I am just doing it because I think it will help with my focus on following my passion, determining my purpose and landing a great job, whether it be joining a company or starting my own business. And most importantly, this process will help me enjoy life even more than I already do.

On Saturday my activity was to write a Haiku. I don't have a fear of writing but I have to admit I had forgotten that a Haiku was a 5-7-5 syllable poem. Okay, I don't remember everything from 3rd grade. So what do I write about? I could write something flowery or I could write about what's been on my mind. I chose what's on my mind. What's heavily on my mind.

The Work Will Come Now
The Bills Are Paid In Full Now
No Worries At All

Well, it wasn't romantic. It wasn't really even poetic - but it was honest. I have to get rid of the fear and anxiety that comes with a full-time job search while bills mount. I have to live in the now and not think about hurrying up this enjoyable moment so I can go do.... what?

Sunday's activity was to list my fears. Believe it or not I do not fear death. Like most of us, I have a fear of how I might die. I don't dwell on that at all though. I don't even think about it. I don't really do anything that would put me in life-threatening situations. As you know, I don't do roller coasters.

I feel like I am currently facing my biggest fear right at this time in my life. It's the fear of not currently having full-time employment and what comes along with that - fear of not being able to pay the bills, afford food and some luxuries. I'm mostly concerned about not being able to provide for my family. There is so much more I want to be able to do for my children, my family and even my friends. I guess it's more anxiety than fear. I have never gone much more than a month without a full-time job in my adult life. This feeling is something very new and not good. I have had jobs where you get a tinge of fear, producing daily newscasts with absolute deadlines and working with very demanding clients in the agency world. I experienced the fear of starting up and maintaining my own business. But at the end of the day those fears vanished after accomplishing or resolving what needed to accomplished or resolved. So, as I listed my current fears, almost all of them related to "lack of."

After finishing day 7 and 8 there is a slight temptation to give up on this project or at best not do it on a consistent basis . The desire to break away from this is a good temptation to have though. It's all part of the process. I am learning that the difference between success and failure (not that there's anything wrong with failure because you learn more from failure than success) is the giving up part. We give up when we succumb to our fears. I bet the most successful people are the ones who fail and don't give up. The least successful people or least satisfied and driven people are the ones who give up even before failing or succeeding.

I know there are hundreds of studies out there detailing how millions of people give up on their diets, their activities and their pursuit of life-long goals or even short-term goals. It's really easy to let life and your fears get in the way. During 30 Days of Yes, as I have mentioned before, it's easy to think "I don't have time for this and I don't see any results yet so I need to get back to the approach I was taking before or try something else."

Remember, the beginning of anything you start is always the hardest part. Or as I wrote in a previous blog sometimes the "before starting part", the just thinking about what you may endure, is the hardest part. Just jump in and keep swimming. Eventually it will feel good. Besides it takes just as much effort to go half way across the lake and return to the same spot as it does to continue to the other side.

I'm still all in because I know this approach of re-examining my passion and purpose will get me much closer to achieving my goals.

Patience, my friend. It takes patience and passion to get things done. Patience helps you to work smarter and passion helps you to work harder while having fun.