I’ve spent an embarrassingly large amount of my life avoiding the difficult discussion, situation or moment. I was asked during a talk I gave this last week “what do you do when you’re faced with that difficult decision? How do you decide?”
My response was different than what I actually did. I recommended allowing that ‘existential crisis’ to happen. To feel the depth and breadth of that decision. To allow the weight of it to be oppressive. To let that misery be what it is.
That way you’ll know that the decision was one made with all the facts in place. You can face the uncomfortable questions “will I be happier poorer and doing this or richer and doing that?” and BE HONEST!
That requires knowing yourself, though. I think that you can only know yourself after going through those moments. If nothing is a challenge then nothing is changed. Nothing is sharpened.
It’s the advice of ‘lean in.’ Lean in to what makes you uncomfortable. Find those edges. Participate in your life and what’s going on.
After all, we’re all just ordinary men.
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