I was driving home from work and heard an audio clip from Jim Carrey’s commencement speech at Maharishi University School of Management. Ironically, I’m not a big Jim Carrey fan and I almost changed the station. Honestly, I thought to myself, what could he possibly have to say that I would want to hear. Little did I know. If I hadn’t been on the highway I would have pulled over and stopped immediately. I did just that as soon as I could and googled the speech. I listened to it all.
I remember the day like it was yesterday and I knew with certainty and believed deep in my heart that somehow, someway 17 seconds into the video linked above would be life changing.
OMG that is me! Sure, I’ve had my moments of impracticality. I mean, how practical is it to want to run 50 miles, right? But, for the most part, I’m a practical person. Maybe, some of that practicality is fear.
So, I made the decision to make a change. What do I do next? I’ve thought about this constantly for the past few weeks and I have the big picture in mind, but I’m not totally abandoning all practicality. There are times when it has served me well. I’m going to take this step-by-step one day at a time. Otherwise it’s overwhelming to the point of that fear trying to creep back in.
Is it possible to have fearless practicality?
What’s next?
- Believe in myself and my dreams unconditionally. Don’t let fear creep in.
- Create a manifesto. The philosophy and beliefs behind my dream.
- Choose certifications. What do I need to have to do what I want to do?
- Write a business plan. A whole new world!
- Set goals. Acheive.
- Stop planning and do. Take action.
I don’t want to look back on a life of what ifs and why nots. I’m going to dream big, believe in myself and see what happens.
Of course I can’t go on this journey without sharing the details. I’ve almost decided on the certifications I’m going to get and where to get them. I’ll share that soon.
be the best version of YOU
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I LOVE this post! There are some personal things going on right now that have me fearful of the future- I need to move past that and this is a great reminder to do so!
This is SO USEFUL! Thank you! Concrete action plan! PS, sorry if I mess up on twitter and tagging etc. I am new to that form of social media : )
Wow. What a great message and so true for so many of us.
I think you need to get out of my head, or me out of yours, cause I was just thinking about fear today (future blog post).
If we let go of fear so many wonderful things can happen.
Jill, this is the most inspiring thing I’ve read in a while! I’ve been in a little of a “rut”… Traveling isn’t all it’s cracked up to be ALL the time! But this, to me, is the Jim Carrey speech! I’m going to adopt your steps into my own healthy living plan! Thank you!!
I think a lot of what I have done in the past (or not done) was out of fear. I like now that I see fear as an advantage — it means I want it more than I don’t. So its motivating! Doesn’t mean I don’t let it take advantage of me every once and a while – but at least I recognize when I’m afraid and make more of a conscious decision to not let it affect my decisions (if that makes sense).
I feel like a lot of my decisions are based on fear. Can’t wait to hear about your new journey some more!
I heard about his speech earlier this year and meant to listen to it all, I definitely will now! That quote is so true and that’s how I used to live my life because I just didn’t know any better for many years. Moving to NYC 6 years ago has opened my eyes and so many unexpected doors for me. I am also ready to stop thinking and start doing! Good for you for not settling and designing your dream life!
Love it! Can’t wait to see what you are going to do next!
I can’t wait to hear more about these big dreams of yours. Whatever they are, I know you’ll not only go after them, but surpass them!
Thank you so much Nicole!
Can you believe? I was so excited about this post and got caught up in getting to this point I forgot to include the details of my dream! #bloggerfail LOL
I love that you have decided to make a change and are going for what you want instead of letting fear stand in your way!! I can’t wait to hear all about your next big thing!!!
WOW…. you can fail at what you don’t want….
I am slowly learning to let go of fear and to try new things. I think that the Boston Marathon 2013 was a turning point moment for me. Once I recovered from the trauma I began to see with much more clarity how short life can be and that we must seize opportunities and not always be so afraid to get out and do things. You never know what moments or words in your life will have such a great impact! Thanks for this thought provoking post Jill!
Ah Jill once again I feel like you’ve been inside my head – we really should get together for a long coffee chat one day! I’ve been struggling with some big decisions about career next steps – trying to push past my fears. Can’t wait to hear more about what you’re planning!
It is so much better to take a leap of faith rather than living with the “what-if’s” for the rest of your life! Staying at home full-time with my son was a leap of faith for our family and that huge life change scared me so much. Now looking back, I’m so glad we took that chance! No regrets!
Another inspiring and motivational post! 🙂
Great words to live by!
Such great motivation for Friday. It is so true that so many of our decisions are made out of fear. I cannot wait to hear about your plans
You are so brave! I can’t wait to hear about your plans.
I think you just had what Oprah would consider an A-Ha! Moment….Sometimes it takes time to get to a point where you are ready for change and tackling big dreams. And sometimes, we are oblivious to what we are ready to do until a random Jim Carrey speech speaks to us on a radio. Can’t wait to hear what your plans are. Have a great weekend!
Love this! Fear held me captive for so long — confronting it and moving on has been liberating!
Jill, I am so so excited for you 🙂 I can’t wait to follow you on this journey <3 I think "being practical" stems from a want to control/ease anxiety which is something I struggle with as well. Being conscious of this is what's important though!
I wrote about this too in “Challenging my Anxiety around Exercise”. It’s really hard to stop doing things out of fear, but in the end it’s worth it and you become a much more intuitive person.
TOTALLY inspired Jill!!!
I LOVE the quote about not looking back on a life of what ifs–that drives me crazy1!!! I try to life my life on that–going for hard things.
You’re awesome!!
Love this. Go for it!
Oh my gosh! I am super excited for you and can’t wait to hear more! Take Action! I love it!
What’s the worst thing that could happen. That’s what I always say to myself. I’ve also learned that I make the biggest mistakes when I rush to act of fear. Great post!
Jill this is fantastic!! Congratulations we can’t wait to hear more. And very often we do make decisions based on fear it’s empowering once in a while to make leap of faith.
I love it when we hear a message we need to hear from an unexpected source — maybe it has even more impact when it takes us by surprise?
Way to go on going after your dreams– that’s how life should be lived!! Can’t wait to hear the news
Fantastic post, and really thought provoking. I will need to listen to the rest of his speech–Jim Carrey is one of those people who, like Robin Williams and several other comedians, is so brilliant that they are almost unbearable, but you also know that they have battled such significant inner demons that they have much to teach the rest of us about living life full stop.
Yes! Love this! I heard his speech, and that really hit home with me too. I am considering starting my own business, and all the professionals I talk to keep telling me to go for it, but the fear holds me back….what if I lose all my money, what if it doesn’t work, what if people hate the idea. I need to step out, and go for it as soon as I can, and this is something to keep in mind. Thank you Jill!
Although you never strike me as someone who does give in to fear, you always seem so strong and ready to take on the world 🙂
We should start Skyping! We’ll go for it together. Serious. We should. My fears were for the exact same reasons!
I strive to make decisions out of a level head without distractions. I do not allow fear to dictate my actions because I know FEAR is nothing but false evidence appearing real.
I feel like the older I get, the less fear creeps into my decisions. I never really thought about it quite like this (thanks Jim!) but I will definitely be more mindful in some major decisions now. Love it!
So much of this couldn’t have happened at any other age.
Who is Jim 🙂
Haha!! Jim Carrey!!
Can’t wait to hear about your big dreams and goals! Great inspiration for a Friday. Enjoy the long weekend!