There are so many reasons to stop. So many reasons to give up, to not even start, to fizzle out, to let fear get the best of you, to make excuses…..
I read a book recently called Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed (she wrote Wild). It’s so, so good, you guys. Cheryl anonymously wrote the Dear Sugar advice column over on The Rumpus, to a huge cult following. Tiny Beautiful Things is a collection of questions and responses from that column. Did I mention how so, so good it is?
One part of the book that stuck with me was when in answering someone’s question, Sugar (Cheryl) wrote something about sourcing your life from your future self. Like, would my future self regret if I didn’t do this thing I want to do but am afraid (marry the guy, leave the guy, have the kid, buy the house, travel alone, etc etc)? What would my future self want me to do in this situation?
It automatically sort-of pulls you outside of yourself to see your situation from a new, elevated perspective.
And it got me thinking how this is really a magical question, and a way to get out of your own excuses and keep yourself going when things feel hard/scary/too much/unknown/out of control/confusing/overwhelming/unclear. When you’re ready to quit or to not even start in the first place, ask yourself:
:: Would my future self want me to give up right now?
:: Will I regret having not done this in the future?
:: What will my life be like in the future if I don’t do this thing?
I can think of about 1 million times during my typical days in my life and in my business when this question could be useful to me.
:: Would my future self want me to push past my fear and open this new online program I created, even though it’s scary and maybe no one will sign up?
:: Would my future self want me to keep checking Facebook right now instead of just doing the work that needs to be done?
:: Would my future self want me to not send this email I’m scared to send to a potential client?
:: Would my future self want me to say no to this opportunity just because it’s a little outside my comfort zone?
:: Would my future self want me to give up getting better at promoting myself and my business, just because right now it feels too hard and uncomfortable?
:: (Insert your own one million questions to yourself here.)
All this is to say: don’t stop now. What may be stopping you from whatever it is you dream of doing is simply YOU, getting in your own way. (I say this with love and from deep experience, friends!)
Keep going! Your future self would want you to.
Jessica Swift, a full-time artist and surface designer in Portland, Oregon, is on a quest to inspire everyone on the planet to pursue their wild + colorful dreams … and never give up. Her magically uplifting artwork is licensed by companies and manufacturers for iPhone cases, fabric, stationery, and much more. You can find her colorfully creating and blogging online at JessicaSwift.com.
