Trial by fire, that’s what most people call it. We learn by doing and often the only way to get caught up in the trap of having to do something is signing up before we are really ready. It tends to test our resolve.
Recently, a mentor passed down this piece of advice. Sign up for things that then force us to complete them, as opposed to procrastinating time and time again. Coincidentally, a few days later, there was a website confirming an actual term for this piece of advice. They had called it, “forced optimization.”
It seems a little bit of stress is a good way to keep growing and committing ourselves to tasks that cannot be backed out of, then forces us to optimize our time accordingly. The beneficial stress, which comes with forced optimization, can help keep us driven, because when we’ve invested ourselves, or our money, in a class, a club, work, projects, goals or anything else we’ve signed up for and said we would do, it becomes almost impossible to withdraw from the commitment. Plus, so often when we have to do something it means we will most likely be forced to learn along the way and this is a very good thing.
So how do we employ this tactic? We can do small things like putting up our hand to volunteer for tasks before anyone else does, sign up for that class or club we keep putting off, put our name down for something we can’t get out of and take the small risk of trying to step out of our comfort zone as much as possible. These are all great tricks to get ourselves stuck in a situation that will help us learn new skills, push ourselves in the right direction and grow as a person. A lot of the time a good life is compiled of all those little risks we tend to take. And don’t be afraid to look like a fool. We all do it, and this is what it means to not take ourselves too seriously, when we become comfortable in new situations.
So, why do most of us not employ these little life tactics on a constant basis? Well, most times it feels a tad bit terrible to be failing forward, meaning we have to put in all that effort of being a rookie, long before anything really good begins to happen. It’s too bad results take a ton of effort, but this is the way the world works, just as much as the changing of the seasons.
Winter is the perfect time to work towards being that person we’ve always wanted to become. Now that summer is gone and some of our external motivation leaves with it —those sunny, warm days — we’re left with just our own ability to motivate ourselves to get moving. It’s during these cold months when it’s so much easier to stay home in the warmth, only venturing out for things we need to do, instead of getting more involved in our community and doing good things for ourselves.
We can perhaps take some inspiration from the book, The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho, that no matter how long it takes, we can eventually get to where we need. Where some of us travel directly from point A to point B, others are zigzagers. We tend to take the scenic route. So, how do we redirect ourselves, and our focus, towards getting back on track? One way might be to find a community club or activity that aligns with our goals and our dreams, and then take the small risk to sign up and commit ourselves to becoming the person we’ve always visualized being.
The best part is we don’t necessarily have to reap the sweet rewards of success in everything we do. Focusing on the process is a realistic way of producing positive results, from our efforts, and often this mentality can keep us from becoming discouraged when immediate results or rewards become fleeting.
They say life has its ups and downs, but perhaps it’s more of a zigzag pattern and all we need sometimes is a good community club, team or membership in something we enjoy to pull us back on the right path and refocus our efforts.
