Jump Start

As I write this, I am currently slouched behind my desk listening to Monocle Radio which is now playing Rohey’s "Is This All There Is." I’ve never heard this song, but isn’t it ironic (queue Alanis Morissette) that the catalyst for starting something new often

comes in the form of a question like "Is This All There Is?"

Whether we are thinking about starting a new business, making a drastic career decision, cutting back on carbs, diving genitals first into a new relationship, traversing the globe or doing something as rudimentary as binge watching a new series, it almost always comes back to Rohey and "Is This All There Is." I can think back to the times when I’ve gotten the urge to embark on a new journey and they’ve almost all come on the heels of having recently visited a new city. Something about breathing a different kinda air and processing the sights and sounds of a new place has always inspired me to try something new. I don’t know that I’ve ever subscribed to Nike’s “Just Do It” campaign on my own. I rarely wake up and feel like I am going to conquer the world or that I can be all that I can be or that I can be anything I want, but something about being in a different physical space puts me in a different mental space.

So where do I suggest one starts, well, let’s start internally, before I begin anything new, especially something that might require sustained focus and energy, I need to check in with myself and ask the following:

1. What about doing this will make me feel alive or contribute to my sense of joy or quality of life?

2. Who am I really doing this for?

3. What do I hope to gain from doing this?

4. How long can I sustain doing this before I say fuck it, I am done?

5. What do I need to contribute financially, emotionally, physically, mentally and spiritually to get started? And can I afford to make those contributions?

Once I am able to give myself really convincing concrete answers to those questions, then and only then do I feel prepared to take on the task of learning to swim (I actually learned when I was two (Thanks Mommy-Two), but you get my drift). All that said, why not spend a few days under a blanket with your favorite writing utensil asking yourself a few questions that will hopefully lead to your own version of becoming the next person to walk on the moon.