Have you ever been afraid? We all come to places where we need to make a move, but can’t. Why? Maybe it’s the fear of the future. But maybe it’s because you haven’t assessed the cost of staying where you are at.
In July of 2011 I moved my family across the country from Florida to Washington state. We had little money and resources, but we did it anyway. I did it because I was following a dream. I wanted to use my skills to serve people in the way I am uniquely wired and that required leaving the old setting and starting all over.
I took the move very slow. In fact, what should have been a three day drive turned in to two weeks. I took my mountain bike and stopped quite a bit once I got to the mountains. I met friends, rode trails and had lots of time to think.
Shortly before I met my wife and kids in Idaho, I heard an NPR story (included below) on the radio about a young man named Sam, from a Hasidic Jewish background. I couldn’t help but relate to his story of leaving his community to pursue something outside of the setting he grew up in. He loved philosophy, science and art, but felt he couldn’t learn in the environment of his religious community. So he left and moved to New York City to pursue an alternate education. Sam’s picture is included above.
As the story concluded he told the interviewer
“Friends tell me, ‘Sam, do you realize how brave you are?’ (Sam answers) ‘I don’t think it was bravery that made me do it. You leave because you are so afraid of the life you would have if you stay.'”
That quote has been swimming around in my head for almost three years now. Here’s the conclusion I’ve come to. It’s OK to be afraid. It’s not too different from bravery. Both can drive you to action. Whether you are brave or afraid, I want to encourage you. In your gut something has been placed that needs to be paid attention to. Are you listening?
Many times our inability to act is because we haven’t taken inventory of the cost of staying where we’re at. If you can relate, journal on these six questions.
- Where am I at currently?
- Where do I want to be?
- What’s the cost of staying here?
- If I were to take one step this week that would move me out of my situation toward where I want to be, what would that step be?
- How can I utilize my awareness of the cost of staying to drive me forward?
- When am I going to do my specific action?
Take a few minutes to listen to the story below. Ask yourself where you are at and what it’s going to take to get you to where you need to be. If you need help making your move, send me an email. I’d love to be helpful.