Day 5 – Fear of Taking Time Off
One of the first things I remember being asked by my family, and friends of the family, after starting elementary school was what do I want to be when I grow up.
From then on many of my studies and after-school activities related to my impending intended adult career at the time.
I started to identify very early on with these careers and roles in society.
I don’t think I’m alone here either. So many of us are drilled from a young age about our futures that it can often be hard to stay present in the moment of now.
And it carries over into adulthood as well. So many of us are goal orientated with projects and aspirations in our work, in our business, in our side business on into adulthood.
This is all great stuff! Goals ARE great! We wouldn’t be the society we are now if it wasn’t for our ability to develop and action goals.
It is people like us goal setters that make changes in the world! That help community to support the people within. We are the leaders of today and we are the leaders of tomorrow.
But even with all this goal setting ability we often are chronic “doers”. Or to put it another way, we end up being “human doings” not human “be-ings”.
Even as I write this I know that I have to complete this and review an edit of a video for my channel all within the next half an hour before I leave the house PLUS there is also ALL the things that I didn’t have time for today!
You see when setting goals, this often breeds a follow-up series of “need to do’s” in our minds.
Unfortunately, the people that we are, often makes us become people under high amounts of stress from all these “need to do’s”. All because we are so practiced at setting goals from our dreams back in childhood.
Any “program” (ie a behavior, trait, habit, thought pattern etc) must also be trained with the opposite behavioral trait.
In this case, can you switch off for an hour or two just play like a child?
Can you pick up a paintbrush or musical instrument and just use it without judgment of yourself intent to achieve something particular?
That’s my challenge for you today.
Set aside one hour with a tool, instrument, past time, experience, activity, artwork or hobby and just play! No reason or purpose or goals other than to explore and feel.
Notice yourself.
Do you find your mind wandering without the guidance of a goal?
Do you beat yourself up around some imaginary bar set by your own quality control and expectations?
Can you switch off for just that hour?
Take one picture of your “play” AFTER it is done and then share it on social media saying that your fear of having no goals is complete!
How was it for you?
PS I’m curious, have you been doing these challenges each day?
By now are you noticing any sort of Momentum from doing these challenges?
Brett Solomano
Hollywood Stuntman. Author, coach, speaker on overcoming fear.