Just Do It

Rebecca Zeines
Jul 24, 2017 · 2 min read

Why aren’t you?

Stop waiting for life to happen to you.

Stop hoping that your problems are going to be magically solved without doing anything.

Stop thinking that just because you want it, you’ll get it without effort.

Stop trying to take the easy way out.

Start living.

Life is a messy thing. It’s frustrating, it hurts, it burns, and sometimes…sometimes, it’s fucking amazing.

But for you to experience anything near amazing in your life, you need to be living it.

Don’t let life pass you by while you wait for something to happen. It won’t if you don’t make it.

I’m not blowing air out of my ass. That’s just a fart.

I grew up in a place that had expectations. Expectations on ways of being, ways of thinking, ways of doing, and paths in life.

“If you don’t get some kind of degree, you won’t make it very far.”

“If you don’t act like this, you won’t make any friends.”

“If you don’t go down this path, you definitely won’t get that career.”

I let go of those expectations and that pressure. It wasn’t in the least easy, but I did. I had a literal mental breakdown in order to do so, but I succeeded.

I broke away from expectations and started living.

I went places. I saw stuff. I made friends. I lost friends. I learned languages, cultures, ideologies. I had debates. I disagreed. I found my people, and I found people who aren’t mine, but whom I deeply respect.

When I left expectations behind, I started living. Suddenly, the world really was my oyster, and pearls of opportunity just kept on happening.

For example.

In the span of a week, I got hired for a job that I’d never done before and flew halfway across the world to do it.

I was offered a — free — 10-hour ride between Dallas and Baton Rouge, where I was hosted and fed for a night by a total stranger.

I learned how to speak Spanish in a matter of weeks.

I got hired for another job I’d never done before after a random conversation.

I’ve found countless places to call a temporary or second home with people who are now part of my heart-family.

I learned how to bake bread at a scale. I also learned how to make vegan cake that tasted amazing for 150 people.

I rediscovered my love of writing.

I learned that I’m a storyteller.

I re-learned how to learn.

By breaking away from the wait, the push for something supposedly better in the future, the expectation that without a specific set of tools I wouldn’t be able to succeed, I finally made it.

I finally started living.

On Breaking the Mold

Where unconventional paths in entrepreneurship, personal development, and education meet. Learn more at discoverpraxis.com

Rebecca Zeines

Written by

Copyeditor, Dreamer, Agile Facilitator and all-around joyful misfit

On Breaking the Mold

Where unconventional paths in entrepreneurship, personal development, and education meet. Learn more at discoverpraxis.com

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