Listening To The Voice of Light and Easy Episode #164

I'm driving to a trailhead to meet a friend for a run. It's been a while since I've fired up my portable mic while driving. The funny thing is I want to hear from you, my friends, listeners I guess sometimes we'll refer, "Oh yeah remember that one time you were like coming off the hill after you camped and then you're like, oh right, okay yeah." All right, well I like to keep it real, and this is just life on life is what we're doing together here.

I've been aware recently of a little nugget I guess. An insight that's been new to me is I have this thing in life, and I think you can relate with is I had these big goals and when I go for them, usually I just have this real boldness of kind of what's the worst that could happen if I swing for the fence to try and do this thing.

For instance, starting this podcast however many years ago. Then whether it's changing careers and I've just landed working for these two new consulting groups that are a huge deal for me. Or if it's, I'm training right now to do a big ultra distance backpacking trip this summer up in the Wind River Range with a couple of guys.

When I have those kinds of goals, I don't mind just going for it. Swinging for the fence and its kind of like what's the worst that can happen? Well, nothing. It's like I'm either going to do it or not, but I'm not going to fuss around about will it work or will it not? It gets... Usually, there's only one version in my mind is yes, it will work. Somehow someway I'm going to get there.

One insight that I've had recently is once I achieve or get close to achieving big goals, I tend to shrink back. I'm noticing. Then I start getting nervous of, well, what if it doesn't go very well? Or what if it isn't any good? Or what if I can't do it the way I hoped I could do it? I start getting cautious, and I start listening to the voice of doubt, I start just kind of acting and behaving in an entirely different, unproductive, unhelpful way.

This podcast is one of them at times where I think, oh man, if I could have better production quality. If I could... I just saw Tim Ferriss on his website has 200-million downloads. I think, oh jeez, I'm nowhere near that. So why am I trying so hard?

The insight that I have is when I am bold and fearless, and I feel like I have nothing to lose, it's way more fun. But when I go down the rabbit hole of what if it's not any good? What if it doesn't work?

When I'm learning, I just wrote up on my office wall; big sharpie marker is I'm going to go for it like I have nothing to lose and I'm fearless, and it's enjoyable. What if I approach whatever I'm up to with that kind of spirit, with that kind of intention, with that kind of framework? When I do, it's way more fun.

That's my nugget for today that I've been noodling on, spent some time on evaluating how that applies to my real life. What that looks like in my real life is right now I have a contract from a book publisher, and I've gone down both paths what if it's not any good? What if I don't sell any books?

Then the other one is what if it's going to be great? What if it's going to be great and it's going to be great because I'm going to write the book that's in me like I have nothing to lose and it's fun, and it'll go great versus entertaining this other voice.

My friends, I'm sure you can relate to these two voices, one that's inviting you forward, one that's whimsical and easy and light and optimistic and playful and it just feels more natural. As a result, your best work, your best self, your best ideas, all of you comes forward versus the other voice of disqualification of doubt of whatever that name you would associate with that voice. But not very helpful and isn't drawing us forward in a productive way.

My friends, why don't we today listen to the voice of light and easy and let's swing for the fence and have fun. You know what? It's going to go great. You can do this. Keep going.