As a career coach, I'm a big fan of introspection and self-exploration. One of the main reasons people come to me is to find the clarity to move confidently toward a career that lights them up, and that all starts by looking inside.
But there comes a time when exploring and thinking and noodling cease being productive and become just another way to procrastinate. We get so caught up in what's going on in our heads that we forget to simply start taking steps to make it happen. At some point, if we want to create something new, we have to take action.
Action creates opportunity. There are countless doors out there that will never ever open up to you unless you take the first steps. There are people you will never meet, and opportunities you will never discover, and possibilities you will never experience if you don't start moving to put it into motion.
Action is also a great antidote to fear. Sitting passively and letting life happen to you breeds fear the way still, stagnant water breeds mosquitoes. Stir it up a little. Jump into the driver's seat and put your hands on the wheel and go for a joyride.
Take a look at your own career. Or your own life, for that matter. Is there any action you've been putting off? Do you have any goals that you really would like to move toward but haven't?
If so (and most of us don't have to look too hard to find something), find a step that's manageable to take, and take it. Then do it again.
After years as a professional malcontent, Curt Rosengren discovered the power of passion. As a speaker, author, and coach, Rosengren helps people create careers that energize and inspire them. His book, 101 Ways to Get Wild About Work, and his E-book, The Occupational Adventure Guide, offer people tools for turning dreams into reality. Rosengren's blog, The M.A.P. Maker, explores how to craft a life of meaning, abundance, and passion.
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Grace Kutney of WI 1:24PM January 10, 2009