There was a time when people not only gave you an address to get to their home, but they also gave you directions—landmarks and all.  If you’re over a certain age, you know what I’m talking about! But times have changed and we just pop an address in our GPS and we head on our way—stopping only when we’ve been notified that we have arrived at our destination.

How many times since we’ve entered this new age have you relied on your GPS way longer than you’ve had to? You’ve been this way 27 times, but you still put the address in the GPS and are completely reliant on it.

It’s comfortable and convenient.  Makes life a whole lot easier. Frees your mind to focus on other things…like, which radio station you should play, right? Well, while all those things are true, GPS and many other things in our lives becomes a crutch when we use them longer than we are supposed to. In time because of our reliance on these things our growth is stunted, as we don’t exercise our full capacities.

What are the things in your life you may have relied on way too long because they are oh-so-convenient, and oh-so-comfortable?

 If you’ve seen recent posts of mine, you know that I recently made a huge financial decision in favor of my health and well-being. I cut down an additional job or three. Prior to this I made decisions to start, or revamp, a business I started a few years back.  I hadn’t followed through with the business prior to first and foremost because I was in grad school full time.  However, there would be times in the past few years where I could have given myself to the development of these goals.  This past summer I had a great opportunity and time to brand myself in the ways I desired.  I even began working on websites, e-books, speaking engagements, etc., but then was offered an opportunity that offered more security.  I took this opportunity. Although I don’t regret it, as a result of the fact that there were other things going on in my life (i.e. more secure, yet financially limiting, side hustles), it crowded out the space I had to build the business I wanted.

 I chose safety. I chose the crutch. For four more months I put my entrepreneurial dreams to the side and did what was tangible and right in front of me—instead of believing that ways would be made for the things I really wanted.  

Well, as stated, in the end of 2013 I made some decisions that would bring me back to a place where I could begin to think of my future and marketing the business I desired. Without much effort things began to change for me.  Most notably, in a conversation where someone was talking about my skills, the person with whom they were talking had a light bulb moment that resulted in their playing an instrumental role in connecting me to someone who needed my EXACT skills.

 See what happens when we kick the crutch?

 There are objects, people and situations that we keep in our lives because they are comfortable and safe. I wonder what would happen if instead of relying on things like GPS that make life predictable, safe and seemingly, “fool-proof,” the kind of unexpected happenings we’d see in our life on a regular basis.

 #choosegrowth

 Feministas tell me, can you relate? If so, how?