In Life, We Must Make a Choice

I attended a workshop this week that presented the lesson:   You can author your life.  Are you willing to choose the life you are going to lead? 

My mind wanted to fight with the concept. 

• But really- after so many career choices, a person can't successfully transition into new work if there isn't a nest egg to fund such a transition.
• The old life is just about ready to bear fruit. Why give up the old life when the payoff is about to occur- just for the vision that there could be something much better.
• Yeah, you say all that about having anything you want, but then actually go try to have it all. Having it all takes as much energy as trying to have something pretty OK. You'll be working just about as hard.

I'm curious to meet someone who walked away from a life that was pretty good to author a life that is fabulous.  Were they able to do that without a gigantic nest egg saved up for a two-year career transition?  I know a passion search coach. She recommends a transition job that that pays your basic living expenses and leaves you time and energy to pursue your passion.  From what I can tell, the people who go on a life/career/passion adventure face very real issues:  worry about money; conflicts with unsupportive spouses;  depression or other hidden psychological issues formerly covered by work stress; and fear of failure or fear of success as they head into more authentic work.

All in all, the path seems hard and unlikely to pay off.  I'm curious to hear from people who have gone from alright to fabulous. I can appreciate the life path of people who go from miserable to good.  That one seems obvious:  why stay in the same place in life if it sucks? The other one is not so clear. Why give up something good for something great, if the journey to get there sucks?  Does the journey from good to great have to suck?

I'd like to hear from readers on the subject.  Now here is the funny joke... all four of you out there consistently reading my blog are hardly a crowd of readers...  It's sort of amusing to strike up a feisty conversation when you are an unheard-of blogger... I guess that is what my personal good to great story would be about.  For me, being a well-respected speaker/teacher/blogger/writer/book author would be to make the jump from good to great.   But the law is good. That's my dilemma.  How could things get any better than they are now?  I genuinely enjoy my work.  It's good.  Please readers, help me out.

Would you be willing to leave good to get to great, if that meant giving up something good?

Comments

[Lynn]

I think you make some good points about leaving good to get to great. I am thinking about that right now and I've decided that "good enough" is "good enough". There is also another thing to think about. What if once you get to "great" it is no better than "good" was? And you've moved, divorced and spent all your money getting to "great", but you are no more happy than before, in fact you are worse off. I guess that is why life is about risks. We win some and lose some. I guess one shouldn't gamble with something they aren't willing to lose.

[Vilyamaw]

Hello! great idea of color of this siyte!

[Falco Kornblatt]

A nice observation regarding the cost v. benefit of going for "great."
The older I get, the more I'm OK with the lulling comfort of mediocrity. And as this pertains to marriage, a divorced guy I know summed it up this way: "You can either be miserable or alone."

Here's to lives of quiet desparation.