Seeking Motivation: How To Level Up In Life?
When you realize your youthful ambition has disappeared.
Yesterday I was 18; now I’m 45! I promise this is not a mid-life crisis. Or maybe it is, but at least I’ve just taken to writing and not something more sinister.
I have been blessed with a beautiful family, but let’s face it, over the years other priorities in my life have shifted some of my youthful dreams and ideas to the sidelines.
Throughout my adulthood, I’ve had a lot of successes, some experimentation, and a lot of false starts. This summer, though, I was given another near-death experience and was confronted with the harsh reality that life tomorrow is not guaranteed. Now is the time to level up. I’ve committed to becoming a regular writer.
“Leveling up simply means taking your life to the next level.” It required intentional effort. Here are some of the small sermons I’m preaching to myself in my pursuit of the next level.
Don’t look at the past as wasted time.
In the four and a half decades that I’ve been alive, I’ve gone through experiences and gained wisdom that simply wasn’t available to the young me. It's been training for what lies ahead.
My pastor annually preaches a sermon series on the idea of finishing well in life. One of his main points is that many of the most influential men of the Bible made their greatest impact in the last quarter of their lives. So it can also be with us, modern people. Or at least the last half of our lives.
Now I’m not saying that when it’s time we should not push ourselves to great accomplishments. But we should recognize that different seasons and areas of our lives require different levels of attention.
Is this still a dream worth pursuing?
Now let's assume that you’ve finally carved out some time in your life to level up in some area of your life. Maybe that high school dream of replacing Lars as the drummer for Metallica just isn’t as appealing as it used to be. It’s not for me, and on top of that, my wife works the night shift and would not be happy about a new set of drums in the house.
I have had a few dreams of hobbies and careers I’ve wanted to pursue that have fizzled out: drums, guitar, going to law school, law enforcement, computer programming, flipping houses, and drawing, just to name a few. The one that keeps rising to the top and wanting to get out is writing, so that’s what I’m working on now.
Be on the lookout for inspiration.
As an introvert, the number one way I gain inspiration is through reading. So far I’ve racked up 53 books that I’ve read so far this year.
“If you’re going to get anywhere in life, you have to read a lot of books” — Ronald Dahl
I know; not everyone who reads a lot is a success, and not everyone who has succeeded in life has been an avid reader, but it sure does help. Through reading about the lives and work of others, we can draw on their experience to push us through our own goals.
Reading is not the only source of inspiration. As a high school teacher, I remind my students all the time that the internet and social media are not just for entertainment and gossip. YouTube, Blogs, and of course, Medium, are some of the best sources of education and inspiration, as long as you develop a good B S filter.
Find the time, and plan to succeed.
Once you determine what your goal is, list objectives that must be met to achieve said goal. Check out Sudipto Chanda’s article Smart Goals are Lame Goals, Switch to OKRs, for an alternative to the old SMART framework of goal-setting.
It’s not just goals and objectives that have to be part of your plan. You have to find time each day to pursue the next level. Finding time each day or week to intentionally exercise your new pursuit is the only way growth will occur. Program those steps needed to reach your goal into your calendar.
It’s easy to fall into an envy trap after reading about someone who quit their day job to take up writing full-time. I seriously doubt the wisdom in this line of thinking. It could be they’re not telling the truth.
While I don’t recommend leaving your day job to pursue something like writing, we must be sure to not cheat our day job too. They’re paying for our time, so commit to only pursue hobbies and side hustles off their clock.
Start where you are.
We have to start somewhere. I, for example, have started this article several times only to be frightened by my pursuit of the perfect article. As many accomplished writers will tell you, your writing will probably suck for a while before it gets better.
When you’re first getting started at anything new, chances are you’re not going to be a natural, but if we just wait for perfection, we’ll never accomplish anything.
One thing that I love about writing on Medium — or anywhere for that matter — is that I can do it under a pseudonym. Maybe it is a sign of cowardice, but it sure helps to figure out a new style of writing without it being permanently attached to your name.
What’s next?
I’m not sure. I’d love to be able to say that I’m going to publish a gazillion articles a day like Tim Denning, but that’s just not realistic for me right now. For now, I’ll settle for saying that I’m going to post regularly and figure out what it means to be a good writer on medium.
