Thinking Hard

Recently I attended a presentation for a class at my university. It was a required (by our professor) presentation by an invited speaker. I didn’t mind attending- especially since I got to be all by myself for a few minutes, but honestly, our school needs the help of some audio visual consultants. The sound and video was horrible. They really need someone to come in and clean up that mess. The video feed (for those watching from the back and the student union) was atrocious. It was like watching an old console television. The sound gave me a headache. They need to think about that.

The presentation, though, was about making things happen. Not waiting for someone else to come along and give you everything you need to meet your goals. I’ve seen a lot of bloggers (and others) mentioning that so-and-so ruined their chances at whatever, took their income etc. They are depending on someone else to hand them something to which they think they are entitled. The speaker mentioned that very few people in society make it their mission to help just for the sake of helping. Most people (and companies) want something in return. It might not be an upfront proposition, but it’s almost always implied. A lot of people refuse to see this. They don’t realize that they are not entitled to something that doesn’t belong to them. Promises have been made and deals sealed without that person really thinking about the end result. That’s incredibly frustrating.

Recently, I made the decision to stop letting others determine my goals and where I want to go. There are implied deals made, but I make sure I know what I’m getting into. If there is failure, then it’s mine for not doing my own homework. No one is beholden to me or mine. As a result, I’ve made some really good contacts outside of blogging. Those contacts have noticed something about me that I hadn’t noticed before, which in turn gave me a smidge more confidence. That had led to opportunities for me that I hadn’t given a thought to previously. None of it has anything to do with how well my blog ranks or how much traffic I can garner (though admittedly, at least two of these things can increase my online presence in a positive way). All of it has been a HUGE relief to me, which has benefited my health and family life (college is a whole other story).

I guess my point is that you can do a couple of things with your life. You can make the things happen or you can expect things to happen. Which is more disappointing, do you think? It doesn’t take long to become lost when you don’t get everything you think you are due. You can read all kinds of blogs on how to be successful at [fill in the blank], keep searching for that golden ticket, or you can just get moving toward your goals. A lot of the people I’ve seen lately have been waiting for that golden ticket- but they’re never going to get it because the people that have them don’t want to give them up. You’ll have to earn your own. Or cry on your blog because your opportunities are slim to none.

I’m scared to death of this huge leap I feel like I’m about to make (which is too personal to mention right now) but I’m excited too. I think if I would have waited for these particular opportunities, I would have missed them. I saw the dynamic changing and I’m hoping that I made the right decisions based on what I know. Even if this change is the wrong choice, I can still be proud that I made some choice.

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