The Planning Stage

Right now I am in the planning stage of my life.  I'm planning what to do in the next few years.  I'm writing out my high level goal for every year over the next five and the steps to make the plan happen.

I'm really working to define what is going to set my life apart from everyone else's.  What is God's plan for me that will have the greatest (not the biggest necessarily, the best) impact on the world.  What will I pioneer?

This came clearer as I was reading Seth Godin's blog on Doing it for free.  Seth says

In fact, the more I think about it, the more it seems that pioneers are almost never in it for the money. The smart ones figure out how to take a remarkable innovation and turn it into a living (or a bigger than big payout) but not the other way around. I think the reason is pretty obvious: when you try to make a profit from your innovation, you stop innovating too soon. You take the short payout because it's too hard to stick around for the later one.

I already know that I'm not very hung up on making gobs and gobs of money.  Here's where I do fall into the trap.

...people who want to join the pioneers are often focused on a steady paycheck and juicy options... they would probably be better off seeking the edgiest thing they can find, run by the most devoted visionary.

I am incredibly hung up on the steady paycheck.  I've always worried about not having the money when we need it, or keeping up a lifestyle.  Not increasing it, but just whether I can make the mortgage payments.

I have been e-mailing my friend Kelly and she said this a little differently.  She raised the point:

Now I'm back in NYC and really wishing that I loved working in a job that paid a lot more! One with a bit more security. But oh well - the starving actor life for me:)

If you really read this she makes pretty clear that she loves her job and what she does.  For as long as I've known Kelly (about 13 years now, how crazy is that) she has known what she's wanted to do with life and where she wants to be.  Truly, I can become jealous of that sometimes.

Sure it's uncertain.  She dropped out of college and works from show to show never really knowing what is going to come next.  She loves it.

My life has been centered around stability and moving slowly.  Now that change is finally occurring I feel God leading me toward that unsure life that might pay very little, and it scares the heck out of me.

Time to put some more faith in God and less in myself.  In reality my security has little to do with myself anyway.  When do you let your sense of security fall away?

Peace,
+Tom/Bob

posted by Tom at 2:07 PM