“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.” – Steve Jobs
I’m very fortunate in my career to be able to spend time with a lot of really successful people. It’s fun to be around individuals who own & run fantastic businesses, who have lots of great ideas, who have great families, who contribute to their communities, etc. They’re great models of what life can look like when you’re really engaged and excited about life.
Unfortunately, not everybody has that same kind of energy. Too many people (most?) get up, go to work or wherever they spend their day, come home, go to bed – & repeat for 50 years. I’ve always thought it strange that so many people seem to just be on autopilot. They don’t really seem excited about their lives, they’re just living them.
The difference really is a choice about passion. The first group has sought after and found a life they’re passionate about. The second group has just done whatever seemed like the thing to do. That choice – and it is a choice – has made all the difference between a life full of energy and enthusiasm and joy, and a life that just trudges along.
So why would anybody choose to just trudge along? Fear is a big part of it, and in some cases so is laziness. But for a lot of people it’s that they make choices based on what they think other people think they should do. It’s the safe path, because if you do what everybody else thinks you should do and it doesn’t work out, well hey, at least nobody will think you were crazy for trying.
Nobody who ever pursued what they were passionate about, who really focused on doing what gave them energy has ever regretted it, even though there are sure to be bumps in the road. The joy you get from spending a lifetime doing what most excites you, what makes you feel alive, what makes you feel like you’re really impacting the world is worth every struggle and temporary failure along the way.
So do some self-assessment. Think about your career, or your business. What really excites you? What are you doing when the day seems to fly by? Ask yourself how you can do more of that. Don’t let outside noise tell you it’s not possible. It’s not easy. It probably will be scary. But you can choose to live your life with energy and passion. You simply have to make the choice.
