If you had to name a book that just stays with you. . . one that you keep referring to over and over again – what would it be? Mine is “What Should I do with my Life?” by Po Bronson. It is a collection of stories about people who decided to make a change in their life – most of them later in life.
I remember when I first picked it up, I put it down. I wasn’t ready to read those kinds of stories because I felt stuck and could follow the advice they offered.
Most people don’t want to accept their potential. It hints of an accompanying responsibility to live up to that potential. Acknowledging your potential is setting yourself up to be criticized for being willing to stand out, and nobody want to be laughed at. That fear holds us back for a long time. – Bronson
I did not pick the book back up for several years, but when I did, I devoured it. I even invited the college students on the campus where I worked to read it with me as part of a book club experience. As I do with many of the books I know I will reference later, I retyped all of my underlined sections so that I could access the words and wisdom more readily.
What happens when we start asking about the best-case scenario?
Admittedly, my life has been filled with change. A lot of it. Some of it has been received, some of it self-inflicted. Through it all, the words in Bronson’s book have kept me honest about why the change is necessary.
In the adult world, the inevitable cocktail question is “What do you do?” Most people hate that question because it seems to limit our person. But it does serve a valuable purpose: the question is how we hold ourselves accountable to the opportunity we are given. . . . A lot of people like to solve problems, but not many are willing to devote themselves to problems. . . It is okay not to have an answer, but it is not okay to stop looking for one. . . However, most of us look externally. We look everywhere for the answer except inside ourselves, because there is a scary place. There, we have no accolades and recognitions for achievement. – Bronson
These days, everyone is talking about the need for change. Even in my own organization, people say that they are excited and ready, but there is a tone. . . In the whitespace between the words and in the silent pauses between the ideas, there is a tone that remains skeptical. We want change, but we are not sure it will be worth the work and the heartache.
What does it take for you to be unsatisfied with what you already know? What is the motivation that finally moves you to what might be possible?
Of the many things I have learned, it is that people really do prefer the devil they know more than the God they don’t. We allow our imagination to create a reality of worst-case scenarios rather than best-case ones.
What is possible? What is the best-case scenario? Change is the only way you can find out.