I was listening to a podcast last night where a caller had rung in to ask the presenter what job she should go for, given her age and her previous experience.
I laughed at the answer – not because it was a silly answer. To me, it was right on the money. I laughed because of the way it was stated and that it really made clear for me what we, as human beings, seem to do without thinking.
The presenter said, “If you don’t know what you want to do, just try something. Anything. It’s not like you are marrying the job!”
The caller was doing what we all seem to do at times. We think ourselves into inaction by trying to ‘have it all worked out’ before we even start. We believe that if we start, then we will be committed to that direction, even if we later learn that it wasn’t right for us.
So what if you try a new job and you don’t like it or that you aren’t any good at it?
Well. So what?
You’ll now know that this job isn’t for you and you can try another one. You don’t have to stay married to it for life!
We all seem to want to be perfect – get things right the first time. But that’s not how life works.
A baby learning to walk can fall down hundreds of times before they can even stand up! You don’t see a baby falling down the first time and saying “Well, that’s it then. I’m not meant to walk.” No. The baby will keep trying different stances and different things to grab on to until it can stand up and walk.
That process remains with us for the rest of our lives.
Try something. If you fall down, adjust it. Try something different.
The point is to try.
Try – even if you don’t know it will work.
A parked car isn’t going anywhere. You can’t steer it in any direction unless you get it moving.
It’s the same for you and me. If you don’t know the direction when you start, that’s OK. Start moving and then start steering. You’ll know soon enough if it’s the right direction or whether you need to adjust the steering.
And if you need to… simply adjust.
