I just met with someone I’ve worked with for the past two years who is moving into a new role. It’s a total career change for her, in a direction she’s been trying to work toward since we met. I’m super excited for her.
When I asked how she felt now that it was all coming together, she replied “terrified and excited”.
My immediate response was that this was a great place to be. Maybe a notch below terrified would be ok as well, but in the end, I think we should all live more of our life out on the edge, always pushing into new areas of interest, always pushing ourselves beyond our current abilities. I know personally that it’s time for a change when I’m no longer “terrified and excited”. When things become routine, predictable, I can feel myself slip into a malaise. There is no cure for this other than to find a new mountain to climb, to leap into the unknown and challenge myself once again.
Of course, the risk is always failure. But to me that is a far lesser risk than boredom, of a life not lived to it’s fullest potential.
This conversation today was a great reminder of this simple truth.
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